bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Criminal Trajectories of White-collar Offenders
Authors: van Onna Joost H. R. , van der Geest Victor R. , Huisman Wim , Denkers Adriaan J. M.
Published: April 2014

Objectives:

This article analyzes the criminal development and sociodemographic and criminal profile of a sample of prosecuted white-collar offenders. It identifies trajectory groups and describes their profiles based on crime, sociodemographic, and selection offence characteristics.

Methods:

The criminal development of 644 prosecuted white-collar offenders in the Netherlands was examined using all registered offences from age 12 onward. In addition, sociodemographic background information was gathered from the Netherlands Internal Revenue Service and Municipal Personal Records Office. Trajectory analysis was conducted to approximate the underlying continuous distribution in criminal development by a discrete number of groups.

Results:

The criminal career characteristics and sociodemographic profile show a heterogeneous sample of white-collar offenders. Trajectory analysis distinguished four trajectory groups. Two low-frequency offender groups, totaling 78 percent, are characterized by their adult onset. The two high-frequency offender groups, totaling 22 percent, are characterized by their adolescent onset. Distinct and internally consistent offender profiles emerged for the four trajectory groups on the basis of crime, sociodemographic, and selection offence characteristics.

Conclusions:

The diversity in offence patterns and offender profiles points to different (developmental) causes for white-collar crime and underlines the importance of further longitudinal research on white-collar offending from an integrated white-collar and life-course perspective.
Acute and chronic observations of complete atrioventricular block in rats
Authors: da Cunha Daise N Q , Pereira Vanessa G , Favarato Lukiya S C , Okano Barbara S , Daibert Ana P F , Monteiro Betania S , Araujo Marta R , Carvalho Pablo H , Hamlin Robert L , Del Carlo Ricardo J
Published: April 2014

The mechanisms of production, and gross, microscopic and electrocardiograhic findings of surgically-induced complete heart block (CHB) in the adult rat are presented. This is an effective in vivo model for establishing alternative methods to electronic pacemakers and for providing detailed information aimed at replacement, reduction and refinement of the technique. Sternal thoracotomy was employed to identify the epicardial fat pad by the aortic root, used as a landmark for cauterization of the atrioventricular (AV) node. Stable CHB was produced in 60 rats with a 70% survival rate. The best survival rate was observed in 8-week-old animals weighing 221 ± 27.6 g. Heart rate before cauterization was 387 ± 55 bpm, reduced after cauterization to 126 ± 40 bpm in the survival and to 65 ± 19 bpm in the non-survival groups. At 30 days findings were: elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (21 ± 5.4 mmHg, P < 0.05); maximal rate of rise of left ventricular pressure (LVP) during isovolumetric contraction (2192 ± 235 mmHg/s, P < 0.05); maximal rate of decrease of LVP (−1658 ± 191 mmHg/s, P < 0.05); isovolumetric relaxation constant (5.7 ± 0.8 ms, P < 0.05) with wet-to-dry lung–weight ratio (78.1 ± 0.4, P < 0.05); heart weight/body weight (0.6 ± 0.1, P < 0.05); heart volume (1.8 ± 0.3 mL, P < 0.05); longitudinal diameter (20.2 ± 1.91 mm, P < 0.05); and transversal diameter (17.0 ± 1.4 mm, P < 0.05) with supported dilated cardiomyopathy which culminated in chronic heart failure. CHB hearts had increased preload and replacement of myofibrils by collagen. CHB was achieved reproducibly by cauterization of the rat AV node and/or His bundle. This led to electrophysiological, hemodynamic, and structural remodeling, and could be useful in long-term cardiac remodeling assessments and potential therapy development.
Public or Private Religiosity: Which Is Protective for Adolescent Substance Use and by What Pathways?
Authors: Salas-Wright Christopher P. , Vaughn Michael G. , Maynard Brandy R. , Clark Trenette T. , Snyder Susanna
Published: April 2014

While it is well understood that adolescent religiosity is associated with the use and abuse of licit and illicit substances, few studies have revealed the pathways through which religiosity buffers youth against involvement in such behavior. The aim of this study is to examine the complexity of the relationships between religiosity, sensation seeking, injunctive norms, and adolescent substance use. Using a national sample of adolescents ( N = 18,614), negative binomial regression and path analysis were used to examine the various components of the relationship between religiosity and the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. Results indicate that private religiosity moderates the relationship between key risk factors and substance use. Public and private religiosity were associated with tolerant injunctive substance use norms which, in turn, were associated with substance use. Implications for research and theory related to religiosity and adolescent substance use are discussed.
The marginalization of astrology among Dutch astronomers in the first half of the 17th century
Authors: Vermij Rienk
Published: April 2014

In the first half of the 17th century, Dutch astronomers rapidly abandoned the practice of astrology. By the second half of the century, no trace of it was left in Dutch academic discourse. This abandonment, in its early stages, does not appear as the result of criticism or skepticism, although such skepticism was certainly known in the Dutch Republic and leading humanist scholars referred to Pico’s arguments against astrological predictions. The astronomers, however, did not really refute astrology, but simply stopped paying attention to it, as other questions (in particular the constitution of the universe) became the focus of their scholarship. The underlying physical view of the world, with its idea of celestial influences, remained in vigor much longer. Even convinced anti-Aristotelians, in explaining the world, tried to account for the effects of the oppositions and conjunctions of planets, and similar elements. It is only with Descartes that the by now widespread skepticism about predictions found expression in a philosophy that denied celestial influence.
Transgender Military Personnel in the Post-DADT Repeal Era
Authors: Parco James E. , Levy David A. , Spears Sarah R.
Published: April 2014

This study is the first to systematically inquire into the lives of transgender men and women currently serving across the branches of the US military in the post-“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) repeal era. We employed an interview protocol from a stratified convenience sample ( n = 14) of clandestinely serving active duty, guard and reserve military members from the US Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps who self-identified as transgender or transsexual. Using phenomenology as a methodological foundation, we present a revelatory case study based on lived experiences from firsthand accounts furthering the collective understanding of gender dysphoria in a contemporary military context.
The effects of family cultural capital and reading motivation on reading behaviour in elementary school students
Authors: Chiu Shao-I , Hong Fu-Yuan , Hu Hsiu-yuan
Published: April 2014

This study proposed and tested a structural model of the effects of family cultural capital and reading motivation on reading behaviour in elementary school students. Participants were 467 fifth and sixth graders from elementary schools in Changhua County, Taiwan. The instruments employed in this study included the Family Cultural Capital Scale, Reading Motivation Scale, and Reading Behaviour Scale. The analyses revealed: (a) The observed data fit the proposed model; (b) family cultural capital had a significant direct effect on reading motivation; (c) reading motivation had a significant direct effect on reading behaviour; and (d) family cultural capital had a significant indirect effect on reading behaviour. Implications emerging from these findings are provided for both school personnel and researchers.
Policy change and coups: The role of income inequality and asset specificity
Authors: Hiroi Taeko , Omori Sawa
Published: April 2014

Building on the models developed by Boix, Acemoglu, and Robinson on the relationship between economic structures and regime change, we develop a theory that emphasises structural characteristics of societies and the effects of policy change in such circumstances. We posit that significant policy change in an unequal or asset-specific society induces coups against the incumbent political leader by the losing faction of the elites seeking to prevent or cut losses associated with the policy shifts. Our empirical analysis indicates that the risk of a coup rises considerably during a period of a significant policy change in a society with a skewed distribution of income and one dominated by asset-specific production, such as oil, mining, and agriculture.
Preparing stylistically challenging contemporary classical repertoire for performance: Interpreting Kumari
Authors: Viney Liam , Blom Diana
Published: April 2014

Research involving the learning processes of musicians seldom examines specific pieces of music, and limited attention has been devoted to the earliest stages of learning a stylistically challenging or new piece of 20th-/21st-century art music. This article describes the processes by which two pianists (the authors) learned Ross Edwards’s Kumari, for solo piano. In doing so, it outlines five “elements” in a model for understanding or replicating that process. A key finding is the concept that some modern repertoire may require a preparation stage that occurs earlier than learning stages documented in the literature, one that establishes an “interpretation platform” for learning music in an unfamiliar style. This article offers a guide to pianists learning or teaching Kumari, other works by Edwards, and other stylistically challenging contemporary piano music. More broadly, it may serve as a model for any individual engaged with less familiar repertoire, and may, therefore, be of benefit to music educators working with students in challenging repertoire for solo instruments, ensembles or choirs.
A phenomenological investigation into the impact of parenthood: Giving a voice to mothers with visual impairment in the United Kingdom
Authors: Molden Helen
Published: April 2014

Despite psychological support for parents increasing in prominence in recent UK public policy, there has been a minimal focus on parenting with a disability and specifically scant information on the experiences of what it is like to be a parent with visual impairment. Nine UK mothers, aged 32–47 years, each with a child under 10, were interviewed by telephone to examine how the experience of becoming a parent impacted them. Interview transcripts were examined using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). This article focuses on two meta-themes in the findings: (1) ‘struggles around independence’ and (2) ‘visibility and the impact of the other’s gaze’. They raise issues around both theory and practice of interest to those working in psychological services for people with visual impairment, including (1) the possibility of a new integrative model to conceptualise the experience of parenting with a disability and (2) the mothers’ daily experience of stigmatisation and marginalisation in interaction with the other.
Strategies used by the children’s education teacher for orientation and mobility of the visually impaired student
Authors: Magalhães Alessandra T , Sankako Andréia N , Braccialli Lígia MP
Published: April 2014

This study aims to identify, describe, and analyse strategies used by a teacher to support the mobility of students with visual impairment in various school environments. A female student with visual impairment in Brazil, aged 5 years, and her classroom teacher participated in the study. Their interactions were videotaped, and later, their dialogue and actions were transcribed. Six themes of analysis were elaborated, one for each support strategy used by the teacher. The results revealed that the strategies employed by the teacher often hampered the child’s orientation and mobility. This was probably the result of a lack of assistance by professionals specialised in Orientation and Mobility, as stipulated in Brazilian legislation.
Mindfulness, spiritual well-being, and visual impairment: An exploratory study
Authors: Marquès-Brocksopp Lorna
Published: April 2014

Mindfulness is a form of meditative practice that involves paying attention to present-moment experiences in a non-judgemental way in order to cultivate a stable and nonreactive awareness. Although mindfulness has been studied in relation to various health conditions, no known published study exists which considers mindfulness in the context of visual impairment. Semi-structured interviews were therefore conducted with blind and partially sighted individuals who participated in regular mindfulness practice. Their narratives were then analysed thematically. The results suggest that mindfulness enhanced spiritual well-being by increasing their sense of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal ‘connectedness’, which was seen to be related to a self-perceived increase in emotional, social, and physical health. The findings of this exploratory study call for further research into the utility of mindfulness as a well-being resource for individuals with a visual impairment.
Measuring sustained interaction in adults with deafblindness and multiple disabilities: Development of an observational coding system
Authors: Janssen Marleen J , Brink-Groenendijk Nienke CR , Riksen-Walraven Marianne , Huisman Mark , Van Dijk Jan PM , Ruijssenaars Wied AJJM
Published: April 2014

Sustained interaction with other people is of crucial importance for persons with deafblindness and multiple disabilities. This article introduces a relatively time-efficient observational coding system to measure sustained interaction directly from video recordings using only two observation categories: turns and interaction breakdowns. Sustained interaction is defined as a sequence of at least three turns between two interaction partners. An interaction breakdown means that a sequence is not being continued, but is broken off by one of the partners. This article also presents the results of a first study applying the coding system to videos of five adults with deafblindness and multiple disabilities and their caregivers. The system seems well applicable and provides supporting evidence regarding inter-observer reliability. The system can stimulate further research and intervention to increase sustained interaction.
Pharos: Self-Assessment tools for service development and improvement for schools, educational, and support services for young learners with visual impairment
Authors: Jones Robert D , Prain Iain
Published: April 2014

Specialised schools for the visually impaired have been in existence for a great number of years. However, in the latter half of the 20th century there began a debate, which continues today, as to their relevance in an age of inclusion. Those schools that remain may well be greatly experienced in teaching learners with little or no sight. They do not, however, have a preordained right to always exist, particularly as islands in an increasingly interconnected and accountable education system. Pharos is a self-evaluation tool, developed from an European Union (EU) funding school project, which all service providers, including special schools, can assess their progress towards being part of an interconnected model of partnership, sharing, and cooperation so that the diverse educational needs of young people with visual impairment are met.
Towards a proactive therapy utilizing the modern spectrum of extracorporeal life support: a single-centre experience
Authors: Sharma AS , Weerwind PW , Ganushchak YM , Donker DW , Maessen JG
Published: April 2014

Background:

We describe a single-centre experience of extracorporeal life support (ELS) for patients with severe and refractory cardiogenic shock, refractory cardiac arrest and severe respiratory failure.

Methods:

Between September 2007 and September 2012, 56 intra-hospital and 10 inter-hospital adult patients were supported.

Results:

The median ELS duration was 3 (0.9 - 6) days in venoarterial and 9.2 (7.4 - 24.4) days in venovenous supported patients. At hospital discharge and follow-up (12 and 40 months), survival among the respiratory (venovenous) patients and cardiac (venoarterial) patients was 84% and 38%, respectively. Survival in severe refractory cardiogenic shock patients was related to early initiation of ELS (<8 hours of onset of failure). A delay in initiating venoarterial ELS (>8 hours) and increased pre-ELS pH and lactate levels were associated with death in all cardiomyopathy patients, independent of infarct size.

Conclusions:

Our results exemplify the benefits of ELS as a bridge to initial stabilization of critically ill patients. Potentially, the early application of ELS technology can lower mortality and morbidity in patients with a regressive pathology.
The Local Roots of the Global Politics of Reconciliation: The Articulation of ‘Reconciliation’ as an Empty Universal in the South African Transition to Democracy
Authors: Renner Judith
Published: April 2014

Fostering ‘national reconciliation’ through public truth-telling processes has become a central objective of post-conflict peacebuilding. This article critically reflects on the global politics of reconciliation by illuminating its process of emergence in the South African transition to democracy. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is commonly seen as an authoritative template for reconciliation processes around the globe, and the South African reconciliation experience often serves as a legitimising myth for the global reconciliation project. In this article, I question the intrinsic moral value of reconciliation in general as well as its interpretation in terms of public truth-telling. Drawing on the discourse theory developed by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, I argue that the term ‘reconciliation’ emerged in South Africa as an empty universal, a vague yet powerful social ideal, that could be embraced by the antagonistic parties of the ANC and NP not because of any intrinsic value, but rather because of its vagueness and semantic flexibility. The particular interpretation of reconciliation in terms of truth-telling was then articulated through the political demands raised by different societal groups, which constructed a reconciliation discourse that produced and naturalised truth-telling and healing as central components of a reconciliation policy. This discourse was eventually stabilised and institutionalised by the workings of the TRC.
Making Financial History: The Crisis of 2008 and the Return of the Past
Authors: Samman Amin
Published: April 2014

The past does not simply provide conditions of possibility for capitalist finance; it also serves as a vital resource for those who might seek to understand or negotiate it in a particular present. However, scholars of finance and crisis have overlooked this point at precisely the same time that they themselves have sought to find clues or lessons in financial history. This article provides a reading of how and why the past has come to acquire such a strange presence within contemporary capitalism. Following Michel de Certeau, it approaches historiography as an operation, focusing on how the past has figured within three distinct but related fields of social science – namely, financial economics, economic history, and constructivist political economy. It demonstrates how each of these fields has been structured around an exclusion of the recollected past as an input into historical process, and argues that this has been revealed by the discursive response to the crisis of 2008, which in turn should be understood as a breakdown in the machinery of capitalist historiography. It concludes by suggesting that, in order to grasp the potential productivity of such a breakdown, scholars of the global economy should begin to make a place for ‘the practical past’ within both their visions of history and their methods of historical research.
Reimagining Communities: Opening up History to the Memory of Others
Authors: Durand Jean-Louis , Kaempf Sebastian
Published: April 2014

There comes a time when transmitting the history of a national past fails the context of the political present. France and Germany have shared tortuous historical experiences, yet the two are at the forefront of an unprecedented pedagogical development: for the first time ever, two nation-states have created a common history textbook that is used in their senior secondary schools. As such, each country, to borrow Ernst Gellner’s formula, has abandoned – qua this textbook – its monopoly of legitimate education. Histoire/Geschichte detaches history from its exclusive national past and introduces the learners to a post-national present. It speaks in a tone that is demanded by a different time and by the new conditions of peoples who are living in a common political space. This article reflects on the meaning and reach of this precedent by first analysing the explicit political and pedagogical explanations inherent to the book. It then identifies and investigates some of the less evident effects of the textbook relating to rethinking war and history, rethinking the monopoly of education, rethinking national identity, and to offering another path to rapprochement.
Between Politics and the Political: Reading Hans J. Morgenthau’s Double Critique of Depoliticisation
Authors: Paipais Vassilios
Published: April 2014

This article situates H. Morgenthau’s thought in the context of post-foundationalist theorisations of the difference between politics and the political. In doing so, it shows how Morgenthau’s sophisticated realism refused to circumscribe the antagonistic dimension of politics and introduced the study of international politics as a struggle with negativity, temporality and contingency in the wake of the crisis of foundationalism in late modernity. Morgenthau’s tarrying with the negative is primarily revealed in his irresolvable tragic oscillation between Nietzschean scepticism and Kantian moralism. Nevertheless, due to its antinomic premises, Morgenthau’s tragic vision of politics can still be viewed as stopping a step short of its full-blown critical potential. It is not the purpose of this article, however, to award or withhold credentials of criticality but to recast Morgenthau’s theory of the political as an instructive, albeit inconclusive, attempt at a post-foundational political ontology. This may, eventually, serve a purpose far broader than restoring classical realism’s latent reflexivity; it may prompt an argument about the conditions and challenges involved in practising international theory as a constant critique of depoliticisation.
Reading Hobson through Feminist Lenses
Authors: Tickner J. Ann
Published: April 2014

In this article, I suggest ways in which feminist analysis would further enrich Hobson’s text. Questioning Hobson’s assumption that it is possible to create separate ‘metanarratives’ about Eurocentrism and patriarchy, I claim that patriarchy, imperialism and Eurocentrism were co-constituted through the practices of Western imperialism and the creation of modern Western knowledge. I then take up Hobson’s question that asks whether one is, or is not, Eurocentric is a more important question than whether or not one is a positivist. I argue that both these questions are important and interrelated. Whereas positivism aspires to tell one universal story, post-positivism acknowledges that all theories are constructed in the interest of someone. Therefore it offers us the opportunity to be reflective about our epistemological standpoints – whether or not they are Eurocentric. I then describe some methodological sensitivities concerning these issues that IR feminists have brought to their research. I conclude by reviewing some feminist post-colonial literature that reflects these sensitivities, thereby offering us some tools to overcome the Eurocentric trap.
Re-viewing the Eurocentric Conception of World Politics: A Response to Knutsen, Ling, Schmidt, Tickner and Vitalis
Authors: Hobson John M.
Published: April 2014

This article responds to the five forum pieces that critically engage my 2012 book The Eurocentric Conception of World Politics, the central argument of which is that ever since 1760 international theory has not provided ideologically neutral, universalist explanations of world politics but has been charged, or even mandated, with the provincial objective of defending, promoting or celebrating Western civilization as the highest referent of the world. The first section defends the book’s claim that pre-1945 realism was founded largely on various scientific racist bases (specifically between 1889 and 1945) – what I call ‘racist realism’ – while the second section defends my claim that classical realism and neorealism are not culturally neutral, universal approaches but are grounded in an underlying Western provincialism. The third section defends my reading of three pioneering figures of IR, John Burgess, Paul Reinsch and J.A. Hobson, while the fourth section reframes my non-Eurocentric reading of international theory in the last 250 years through a gendered lens so as to flesh out how gender/patriarchy and racism/Eurocentric institutionalism are mutually embedded, polymorphous discourses. Finally, the conclusion tackles the dual criticism that the book is limited by its Anglo-centric focus, on the one hand, and its situation within a critical tradition that is inherently European, if not Eurocentric, on the other.
Participation and Subjectification in Global Governance: NGOs, Acceptable Subjectivities and the WTO
Authors: Tucker Karen
Published: April 2014

In this article, I examine the ways in which NGO participation in global governance both relies on and produces particular forms of NGO subjectivity. Focusing on NGO interaction with WTO policy-makers in relation to ongoing policy debates about trade, intellectual property law and the protection of ‘traditional knowledge’ and ‘biodiversity’, I explore the ways in which particular forms of subjectivity are elicited and rewarded from (would-be) NGO participants in dialogue, consultation and information-sharing with the WTO. I also consider the forms of NGO subjectivity that are treated as normal, credible and acceptable in this field of global governance, and those that are constructed as undesirable and unacceptable. In doing so, I illustrate some of the forms of inclusion and exclusion that underpin the contributions that NGOs make to policy-making on traditional knowledge and biodiversity in the WTO, disrupting and complicating ideas about the qualities that NGOs bring to global governance.
Western Approaches
Authors: Knutsen Torbjørn L.
Published: April 2014

The Eurocentric Conception of World Politics is a fabulous but depressing genealogy of the modern study of International Relations (IR). The book is impressively comprehensive in content, It is complex in design. It exposes the self-serving dogmatism which have always marked mainstream IR literature. While admiring the scholarly qualities of the book, this review wonders if its critical exposure is excessive? Is there any scholarly approach in IR which is not crippled by its comprehensive condemnation? Does this book, which is written in the European tradition of Critical Theory, ultimately become a victim of its own sweeping criticism of the Western canon?
Style factor timing: An application to the portfolio holdings of US fund managers
Authors: Gallagher David R , Gardner Peter A , Schmidt Camille H
Published: April 2014

This study develops a style rotation model based on quarterly forecasts of style factor (SF) returns, across four style categories, generated using market and macroeconomic data. The prescriptions from this model are tested on a sample of US active equity mutual funds’ portfolio holdings. An annual buy-and-hold style timing strategy investing in the factor with the highest forecast return each quarter achieves an average annual excess return of 7.26%, significant at the 1% level during 1981–2011. However, a fund-of-fund (FoF) timing strategy investing in the funds with the greatest exposure (i.e. the preferred funds) to the style predicted to outperform over the following year does not generate statistically significant Daniel, Grinblatt, Titman and Wermers (DGTW)-adjusted performance. The lack of performance is primarily because the long-only funds are by nature unable to fully exploit the long-short SF returns. This highlights the issue of using long-short portfolio returns, particularly when evaluating fund performance.
Levels of Evidence in the Clinical Sports Medicine Literature
Authors: Grant Heather M. , Tjoumakaris Fotios P. , Maltenfort Mitchell G. , Freedman Kevin B.
Published: April 2014

Background:

There has been an increased emphasis on improving the level of evidence used as the basis for clinical treatment decisions. Several journals now require a statement of the level of evidence as a basic gauge of the study’s strength.

Purpose:

To review the levels of evidence in published articles in the clinical sports medicine literature and to determine if there has been an improvement in the levels of evidence published over the past 15 years.

Study Design:

Systematic review.

Methods:

All articles from the years 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 in The American Journal of Sports Medicine ( AJSM), Arthroscopy, and sports medicine–related articles from The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery–American ( JBJS-A) were analyzed. Articles were categorized by type and ranked for level of evidence according to guidelines from the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Excluded were animal, cadaveric, and basic science articles; editorials; surveys; special topics; letters to the editor; and correspondence. Statistical analysis was performed with chi-square.

Results:

A total of 1580 articles over the 4 periods met the inclusion criteria. The percentage of level 1 and 2 studies increased from 6.8% to 12.6%, 22.9%, and 23.5%, respectively ( P < .0001), while level 4 and 5 studies decreased from 78.9% to 72.4%, 63.9%, and 53.0% ( P < .0001). JBJS-A had a significant increase in level 1 and 2 studies (4.1%, 5.1%, 28.2%, 27.8%; P < .0001), as did AJSM (9.4%, 17.1%, 36.1%, 30.1%; P < .0001). Arthroscopy showed no significant change over time. Diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic studies all showed significant increases in level 1 and 2 studies over time ( P < .05).

Conclusion:

There has been a statistically significant increase in the percentage of level 1 and 2 studies published in the sports medicine literature over the past 15 years, particularly in JBJS-A and AJSM. The largest increase was seen in diagnostic studies, while therapeutic and prognostic studies demonstrated modest improvement. The emphasis on increasing levels of evidence to guide treatment decisions for sports medicine patients may be taking effect.
The Israeli Social Unconscious as Revealed to me during the GASI International Summer School in Serbia
Authors: Doron Yael
Published: April 2014

In August 2013, the first course of the GASI Summer School took place in Belgrade, Serbia. I was the only Israeli student attending among students from England, Germany, Finland, Greece and Serbia. The staff consisted of senior group analysts from various European countries. Within four days, a micro international community was forming between us, multilingual yet united by the group analysis language. In this article I wish to examine the social unconscious and the Israeli social unconscious in particular, as appeared and manifested to me during the Summer School in Belgrade.
Sense of Indebtedness Toward Parents
Authors: Kang Hyeyoung , Larson Reed W.
Published: April 2014

This research examined the construct “sense of indebtedness toward parents” (SIP) as a concept that helps explain positive change in Korean American (KA) emerging adults’ views of their parents despite experiencing a high level of parent-adolescent challenges. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 KA emerging adults. Most described experiencing SIP, defined as “a person’s recognition of his or her immigrant parents’ child-centered immigration aspirations and their sacrifice for the sake of children.” Findings showed that the formation of SIP was facilitated by processes related to developmental and contextual changes pertaining to emerging adulthood. These processes helped participants reinterpret their experiences with parents as entailing sacrifices made on their behalf. The findings highlight diverse emerging adulthood experience due to immigrant or cultural context.
Gustaw Herling-Grudziński and the Blood Libel Legend
Authors: Tokarska-Bakir Joanna
Published: April 2014

The Jewish origin of Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, one of the greatest modern Polish writers, has remained a taboo in Poland for years. The Jewish thread was never significantly thematised in his work. The strength of dismissal of this matter from his consciousness as a writer—together with the panic caused within the Polish literary milieu by the confirmation of rumours about his “foreign origin”—speaks for itself and indirectly illustrates the attitude to otherness that still prevails in mainstream Polish literature. In this article, I would like to explore the author’s literary/biographical strategy, which is outlined in two stories set in the Late Middle Ages. Both of them are based on the so-called blood libel in its early variant, which consisted of accusing Jews of desecrating the host.
Neuropsychological and Neuropsychiatric Prediction of Global Cognitive Status Among Older Spanish-Speaking Hispanics and English-Speaking Whites
Authors: Guerrero-Berroa Elizabeth , Kluger Alan , Schmeidler James , Sailor Kevin , Lizardi Humberto , Golomb James , Ferris Steven , Reisberg Barry
Published: April 2014

Background:

Neuropsychological and depression measures have been found to predict cognitive functioning. We compared these associations among whites and Spanish-speaking Hispanics.

Methods:

Fifty-two pairs of whites and Hispanics were matched demographically and clinically in a cross-sectional study. Hierarchical regression analyses predicted Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) rating by baseline neuropsychological tests and depression symptoms.

Results:

Neuropsychological tests predicted GDS better in whites; depression symptoms—specifically retardation—predicted well in Hispanics but not whites. Immediate recall of the New York University (NYU)-Paragraph Test and the Retardation item of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale were associated with GDS in Hispanics and delayed recall of the NYU-Paragraph Test and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Digit Symbol in whites. Neuropsychological tests and depression symptoms predicted GDS differently in Hispanics and whites.

Discussion:

These results suggest that other measures should be considered to increase the predictive accuracy of neuropsychological tests when assessing cognitive status in Spanish-speaking Hispanics. Additional studies of specific ethnic/racial and sociodemographic subgroups are warranted.
The perceptions of secondary school middle leaders regarding their needs following a middle leadership development programme
Authors: Thorpe Anthony , Bennett-Powell Gay
Published: April 2014

The importance of middle leaders in bringing about improvement in schools is well recognized in the UK, as in many other countries, with the ever-present demand for raising standards and achievement. This article outlines some initial findings and discussion points emerging from the first stage of a project exploring how middle leaders in secondary schools in the United Kingdom perceive their leadership development needs, having recently completed a major middle leadership programme. An online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to uncover the perspectives of middle leaders about aspects of their role in which they feel confident, their immediate development needs and what they perceive would help them to meet these needs. Most respondents felt confident in their role but, somewhat paradoxically, expressed a need for further development in their areas of greatest confidence, which may well reflect the increasing complexity of the role of the middle leaders in schools.
The nonisothermal crystallization behavior of polyamide-6,6/mobile crystalline material hybrid composites prepared by in situ polymerization
Authors: Zhu Yu , Zhang Zhao Cai , Guan Xue Mao
Published: April 2014

A new kind of polyamide-6,6/mobile crystalline material (PA66/MCM-41) hybrid composites were prepared by in situ polymerization. The crystal structural and physical properties of these composites were investigated by Fourier transform infrared and nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements. The nonisothermal crystallization behavior of PA66/MCM-41 was studied through differential scanning calorimetry measurements. Ozawa, Mo, and Kissinger models were used to analyze the kinetics of the nonisothermal crystallization process. It was found that MCM-41 acting as a nucleating agent in composites accelerated the crystallization rate; the Ozawa method failed to describe the nonisothermal crystallization behavior of PA66/MCM-41 composites. However, the Mo model was able to describe the nonisothermal crystallization process fairly well.
Nanosilica and wood flour-modified urea–formaldehyde composites
Authors: Samaržija-Jovanović Suzana , Jovanović Vojislav , Petković Branka , Dekić Vidosav , Marković Gordana , Zeković Ivana , Marinović-Cincović Milena
Published: April 2014

In this study, the thermal behavior of modified urea–formaldehyde (UF) resin with nanosilica (nano-SiO2), wood flour (WF), and their mixture of SiO2/WF was investigated. Five modified UF hybrid composite materials with 0.8 F/U ratio with different filler were synthesized using the same procedure. The thermal behavior of materials was studied using nonisothermal thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal gravimetry (DTG), and differential thermal analysis and supported by data from infrared spectroscopy. The shift of DTG peaks to a high temperature indicates the increase in thermal stability of modified UF resin with hybrid SiO2/WF fillers, which is confirmed by the data obtained from the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study. It was estimated that the UF/WF samples based on nano-SiO2 have better thermal stability.
Factors that influence friendship choices in children under 3 in two schools: An approach towards child culture in formal settings in Barcelona
Authors: Bertran Marta
Published: April 2014

The number of schools for children aged between 4 and 36 months has increased greatly in Spain over the last 20 years, and with that children’s experiences have also changed. The aim of this research is to examine child culture and the factors influencing the relationships that children establish with peers in formal spaces with specific characteristics. According to the results, seniority and playing style influence friendship preferences, along with organisational factors such as the type and number of toys and age structure. This ethnographic research was conducted in the city of Barcelona.
A politics of priority setting: Ideas, interests and institutions in healthcare resource allocation
Authors: Smith Neale , Mitton Craig , Davidson Alan , Williams Iestyn
Published: April 2014

Across a range of health care systems there is a responsibility placed on meso-level budget holders to set priorities and allocate resources within constrained budgets. The literature suggests that these organizations have typically defaulted to historical and/or political processes for decision making. Whilst the literature on resource allocation in health care attests to the political nature of decision making, this has remained largely under-theorized and therefore priority setters may be unfamiliar with the analytic benefits of applying insights from the broader political sciences. Conversely, policy scientists may know relatively little about existing research on how healthcare organizations make allocative and redistributive decisions. This paper aims to open a dialogue between these solitudes by exploring political effects on health care priority setting, using the interpretive concepts ideas, interests and institutions.
Reflections on the ruins of Athens and Rome
Authors: Hancock Black Hawk , Garner Roberta
Published: April 2014

The recent publication of the translation of Jacques Derrida’s Athens, Still Remains, a small volume of photographs and commentary, affords an opportunity to probe Derrida’s reflections on death and therefore on life as well. Looking at photographs and objects of everyday life, Derrida emphasizes the deferred yet certain nature of death and the way in which this deferral opens the opportunity to devote ourselves to life. His grounding of his philosophical and deconstructionist argument in contemplation of material fragments (the photographs of ruins and scenes from the recent past of Athens) invites a comparison with the writing of sociologist Georg Simmel on ruins, time and death. Both writers attempt to discover practices of survival, the techne of affirming life in the face of death. For both of them these practices are sociological as well as philosophical, individual as well as collective, and aesthetic as well as intellectual. While their reflections thematically converge, their strategies for the affirmation of life are not identical, and we contrast Derrida’s approach, rooted in a concept of being in the world and a connection to others, to Simmel’s analysis which is focused on the role of culture and the force of the human spirit. Reconstructing a conversation between Derrida and Simmel and examining their intellectual rapprochement deepen our thinking about temporality and death as we confront the question ‘How are we to live?’
A combinatorial optimization design method applied to S-shaped compressor transition duct design
Authors: Lu Hanan , Zheng Xinqian , Li Qiushi
Published: April 2014

This paper presents a combinatorial optimization method based on uniform design in combination with response surface methodology and genetic algorithm. Uniform design is used to obtain experimental points and response surface methodology to establish a mathematical regression model. Subsequently, genetic algorithm is employed to acquire optimal solution of the objective function. The optimization method has been applied to a two-dimensional S-shaped transition duct design. The process is performed with two design variables. One defines the drop height ratio which describes wall profile, and the other depicts the length ratio between the axial length of the S-shaped transition duct and the duct inlet height. Total pressure loss coefficient as an aerodynamic performance parameter is selected as the objective function for optimization. The objective function is numerically assessed at design points sampled by uniform design in the experimental domain. The initial transition duct was designed with a radius-change to length ratio 11.6% larger than current engine design limits, and the optimization yields a decrease of 36.9% in total pressure loss and more uniform distributions of parameters at the outlet. The paper shows that the described optimization method can be applied to turbofan engines to increase the radial offset and decrease the axial design space between the fans and cores without jeopardizing performance.
Depression symptoms, social support and overall health among HIV-positive individuals in Kenya
Authors: Kingori Caroline , Haile Zelalem T , Ngatia Peter
Published: April 2014

Summary

In Kenya, there was a reported decline in HIV incidence and prevalence among those aged 15 to 64 years and children. Despite the decline, closer assessment of psychosocial issues like depression, contextual factors (family and community), and social support is necessary given the likely impact on overall health and HIV prevention. This paper examines an association between symptoms of depression and social support on overall health among HIV-positive participants recruited from an HIV clinic in Kenya. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were utilized. Findings reveal that compared to those with minimal depression (referent category) participants with mild, moderate, moderately severe/severe depression had higher odds of having poor health. For social support, compared with participants with no social support (referent category), participants with high social support had lower odds of having poor overall health in both unadjusted and multivariable-adjusted models. In conclusion, this study suggests that HIV clinics and interventions need to focus more on the psychological and/or mental health status of HIV-infected individuals while providing avenues such as social support groups that can be a buffer against the negative impact of HIV infection and depression on overall health outcomes.
Assessing the role of peripheral CD8 T cells in neurocognitive impairment in HIV-infected men who have sex with men: data from the MSM Neurocog Study
Authors: Rawson TM , Dubb S , Pozniak A , Kelleher WP , Mandalia S , Gazzard B , Barber TJ
Published: April 2014

Studies have suggested CD8 lymphocytes may be a possible marker for inflammation, which is believed to be a contributing factor to neurocognitive impairment. Individuals enrolled in the MSM Neurocog Study were analysed. Those with depression, anxiety or mood disorders were excluded. Individuals with neurocognitive impairment were identified using the Brief NeuroCognitive Screen and compared to those with normal scores. CD4 and CD8 T cell values and CD4:CD8 ratios were compared between groups. In all, 144 men, aged 18–50 years, were included in the analysis. Twenty were diagnosed with neurocognitive impairment. We were unable to identify any significant difference between current, nadir or peak CD4 and CD8 counts. CD4:CD8 ratios and CD4:CD8 ratio inversion (<1) were also found to be similar between both groups. However, neurocognitive impairment subjects were 8% more likely to have inversion of CD4:CD8 ratio and higher median peak CD8 cell counts reported compared to non-impaired subjects. Analysis of data from the MSM Neurocog Study, demonstrated trends in peripheral CD8 counts and CD4:CD8 ratios. However, we are unable to demonstrate any significant benefit. Plasma biomarkers of neurocognitive impairment in HIV-infected subjects would be of great benefit over current methods of invasive CSF analysis and technical neuroimaging used in the diagnosis of neurocognitive impairment. Future, prospective, longitudinal work with large numbers of neurocognitive impairment subjects is required to further investigate the role of peripheral CD8 T cells as markers of neurocognitive impairment.
The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard
Authors: Mueller Pam A. , Oppenheimer Daniel M.
Published: April 2014

Taking notes on laptops rather than in longhand is increasingly common. Many researchers have suggested that laptop note taking is less effective than longhand note taking for learning. Prior studies have primarily focused on students’ capacity for multitasking and distraction when using laptops. The present research suggests that even when laptops are used solely to take notes, they may still be impairing learning because their use results in shallower processing. In three studies, we found that students who took notes on laptops performed worse on conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand. We show that whereas taking more notes can be beneficial, laptop note takers’ tendency to transcribe lectures verbatim rather than processing information and reframing it in their own words is detrimental to learning.