bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Designing SNAKES AND LADDERS
Authors: Hodkiewicz Melinda
Published: July 2015

Background. Asset Management improvement initiatives often fail to deliver the intended value. Poorly developed strategy contributes to these failures.

Aim. To assist managers in developing skills in Asset Management (AM) strategy in order to meet the requirements set out in the new ISO 55001 Asset Management Standard.

Method. Managers develop the layout for a SNAKES AND LADDERS (S&L) game board. This involves managers deciding what strategic activities to pursue (ladders) and where to place them on the board. Other considerations include the sequence of the ladders and their length, where the length is a proxy for impact of the activity. Managers also need to identify what risks (snakes) are associated with each activity and what impact they have (the length of the snake).

Results. The board development process helps managers to identify factors crucial to effective strategy development such as limiting the number of activities, sequencing these activities over an appropriate time scale, assessing risks of each activities and the consequence of risks being realized on subsequent activities.

Conclusion. The S&L training is an accessible and time-efficient way to get managers to engage with each other and with crucial concepts in strategy development in the asset management context.
Mental Health Services in School-Based Health Centers
Authors: Bains Ranbir Mangat , Diallo Ana F.
Published: July 2015

Mental health issues affect 20–25% of children and adolescents, of which few receive services. School-based health centers (SBHCs) provide access to mental health services to children and adolescents within their schools. A systematic review of literature was undertaken to review evidence on the effectiveness of delivery of mental health services in SBHCs. Databases were searched extensively for research studies published between January 1990 and March 2014. Data analysis was based on the method proposed by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Twenty-three studies were selected for review. Each study was explored for accessibility and content of mental health services in SBHCs. SBHCs provide access and eliminate barriers to mental health services. Students who exhibited high-risk behaviors were more likely to have sought services at the SBHC. However, there is a lack of high-quality research evaluating mental health services in the SBHCs and their effect on children and adolescents.
Cascading Globalization and Local Response
Authors: Axelrod Mark , Roth Brian , Kramer Daniel Boyd , Salim Shyam S. , Novak Julia M. , Sathianandan T. V. , Kuriakose Somy
Published: July 2015

Scholars have long debated whether trade liberalization has positive or negative effects on resource use and ecosystems. This study examines the conditions under which resource use increases or decreases in response to reduced trade barriers, specifically after the 2008 World Trade Organization decision that led the United States to reduce anti-dumping duties on Indian shrimp. At the district level in South India, fishing fleet expansion was correlated with access to global market information via mobile phones. Model simulations indicate that increased mobile phone saturation could expand fishing effort sufficiently to deplete multiple marine species groups, while other species benefit from the loss of predators. However, scenario analysis suggests that regulatory interventions could mitigate these ecosystem pressures while still permitting fishers to benefit from increased access to global market information.
Employee Emotional Competence
Authors: Delcourt Cécile , Gremler Dwayne D. , van Riel Allard C. R. , van Birgelen Marcel J. H.
Published: July 2015

Customers often experience intense emotions during service encounters. Their perceptions of how well contact employees demonstrate emotional competence in emotionally charged service encounters can affect their service evaluations and loyalty intentions. Previous studies examining employees’ potential to behave in emotionally competent ways (i.e., employee emotional intelligence [EEI]) have used self- or supervisor-reported scales to predict customer outcomes, presenting EEI as stable and independent of the context. However, service firms should be more concerned with the actual display of emotionally competent behaviors by employees (employee emotional competence [EEC]), because employee behaviors vary across encounters. Moreover, a customer perspective of EEC is useful, as customer perceptions of employee performance are crucial predictors of satisfaction and loyalty. Therefore, this study proposes a conceptualization and operationalization of EEC in a service encounter context. On the basis of a comprehensive literature review and in-depth interviews, the authors develop a scale to capture customer-perceived EEC, defined as an employee’s competence in perceiving, understanding, and regulating customer emotions during a discrete service encounter. The scale achieves good reliability and validity. Researchers can use it to explore the role of EEC in service contexts, and managers can employ the scale to diagnose EEC and improve the customers’ service encounter experiences.
Antiservice as Guiding Maxim
Authors: Hill Ronald Paul , Capella Michael L. , Rapp Justine M. , Gentlemen Gramercy
Published: July 2015

The service literature is replete with theoretical and practical paradigms to improve service quality and advance goals of service providers as well as their customers. Often taken for granted is the assumption that organizations and their actors are interested in the well-being of those they serve as a way to bolster corporate images and engender long-term customer loyalty. While service failures are expected to happen, most successful firms seek to recover from these occurrences to maintain good relationships with their customers. However, is it possible for an organization to operate in a culture of antiservice? To address this question, we conducted an 18-month ethnographic investigation with men incarcerated in a maximum security prison using the participatory action research methodology. Findings discuss various facets and consequences of service failure that quickly become normal functioning in this institution. Descriptive themes and their interpretations follow and reveal that such treatment occurs because the men are viewed as less than fully human noncustomers who require strict control of need fulfillment. They react in a variety of ways that impact their ability to cope with this paucity of services. Recommendations for public service providers are presented along with implications for the larger service field.
Outside the Equality Act
Authors: Hand James
Published: July 2015

The ‘single’ Equality Act 2010 was intended to unify and simplify British discrimination law which had grown-up piecemeal over 40 years. However, a number of protections did not follow the standard model (as originally laid down in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975) and remained outside the unification process. Such grounds include trade union membership and the possession of whistle-blower status and past criminal records. This difference has been significant in the government’s reaction to the European Court of Human Rights’ decision in Redfearn v. UK regarding membership of political parties, where the government opted to expand these ‘other’ protections rather than amend the Equality Act 2010. This article considers the role and status of these other discriminations which remain outside the Equality Act 2010 in light of the government’s response to Redfearn.
Beyond action
Authors: Khan Shamus
Published: July 2015

Isaac Reed, like the great early work of Talcott Parsons, is focused on social action and continental theorization and largely blind to the broader American interactionist tradition. Absent are Blumer, Dewey, Mead, James (though Peirce appears fleetingly), or the more phenomenological tradition of Schutz or Garfinkel. Absent too is the relational theorizing of gender and race scholars. Given all that is in Reed, it is absurd to suggest that there isn’t enough. The point of this paper is different. It is simply that there are alternate important traditions that ethnographic work draws upon that might aid in pushing Reed’s arguments in different directions. I hope to show how an interactionalist perspective proves fruitful in moving us beyond some of the basic challenges of the classical tradition.
Borderline ankle–brachial index is associated with increased prevalence of micro- and macrovascular complications in type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional analysis of 12,772 patients from the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation Program
Authors: Yan Bryan P , Zhang Yuying , Kong Alice PS , Luk Andrea OY , Ozaki Risa , Yeung Roseanne , Tong Peter CY , Chan Wing Ban , Tsang Chiu-Chi , Lau Kam-Piu , Cheung Yu , Wolthers Troels , Lyubomirsky Greg , So Wing-Yee , Ma Ronald CW , Chow Francis CC , Chan Juliana CN ,   On behalf of the Hong Kong JADE Study Group
Published: July 2015

Borderline ankle–brachial index is increasingly recognised as a marker of cardiovascular risk. We evaluated the impact of borderline ankle–brachial index in 12,772 Chinese type 2 diabetes patients from the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation Program between 2007 and 2012. Cardiovascular risk factors, complications and health-related quality of life were compared between patients with normal ankle–brachial index (1.0–1.4), borderline ankle–brachial index (0.90–0.99) and peripheral arterial disease (ankle–brachial index < 0.9). The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease and borderline ankle–brachial index was 4.6% and 9.6%, respectively. Borderline ankle–brachial index patients were older, more likely to be smokers and hypertensive, had longer duration of diabetes, poorer kidney function and poorer health-related quality of life than patients with normal ankle–brachial index. After adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, borderline ankle–brachial index was an independent predictor of diabetes-related micro- and macrovascular complications including retinopathy (odd ratios: 1.19 (95% confidence interval: 1.04–1.37)), macroalbuminuria (1.31 (1.10–1.56)), chronic kidney disease (1.22 (1.00–1.50)) and stroke (1.31 (1.05–1.64)). These findings suggest that patients with diabetes and borderline ankle–brachial index are at increased cardiovascular risk and may benefit from more intensive management.
Promote the Health of Dementia Caregivers
Authors: Mark Ruth E.
Published: July 2015

Caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) will become increasingly important as governments across the world cut health care funding. The vast majority of the care for people with AD is and will be carried out by informal caregivers, in other words, their spouses, children, and friends, people who typically have no training in this task and, certainly in the early days after diagnosis, little knowledge of what the person with AD is going through or what the future holds. The fact that people with AD face progressive cognitive and functional decline and that widespread individual differences are the norm rather than the exception makes it difficult to predict how quickly/slowly they will deteriorate. Caregiver-centered training and individual guidance based on the specific situation for informal dementia caregivers is going to become an international priority. We will need to care not only for the patient but also for their caregivers.
Gender Bias in Higher Education
Authors: Vallejo Mónica , Torralbo Manuel , Fernández-Cano Antonio
Published: July 2015

This article reviews the results of a quantitative study that provides evidence of gender biases in relation to women in the field of Spanish mathematics education. For this purpose, doctoral dissertations produced in Spain and defended in Spanish universities between 1970 and 2014 were subjected to exhaustive analysis. Focusing on gender, the authorship, supervision, and evaluation of doctoral dissertations were used as explanatory variables. A prospective analysis of the variables was also carried out. The results reveal different situations depending on the above-mentioned dimensions. Specifically, a marked bias against women was detected in terms of the supervision and evaluation of doctoral dissertations, but not in terms of their authorship. This seems to suggest the existence of a glass ceiling that prevents women from gaining access to certain scientific fields and/or engaging in particular roles in the higher education setting, such as the supervision or evaluation of doctoral dissertations.
Short-Term Outcomes of Management of Endovascular Aneurysm Repair in Patients With Dilated Iliacs
Authors: Stather P. W. , Rhema I. A. , Sidloff D. A. , Sayers R. D. , Bown M. J. , Choke E.
Published: July 2015

Objectives:

This study aims to evaluate outcomes following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) in patients with dilated but not aneurysmal common iliac arteries.

Methods:

Data prospectively collected from 342 elective EVARs were analyzed retrospectively. Dilated common iliac anatomy was defined as 21 to 24 mm. Patients with iliac aneurysms or external iliac artery (EIA) extension were excluded. Patients were followed up using clinical review, plain radiographs, duplex imaging, and selective computed tomography scanning.

Results:

Median age was 75 years with a mean follow-up of 3.6 years. In all, 33 patients had dilated common iliac arteries (DCIAs) and 309 had non-dilated common iliac arteries (NDCIA). There was no difference in aneurysm diameter or neck characteristics (length, diameter, angulation, thrombus, and flare) between the subgroups. There was no significant difference in technical success, 30-day mortality, late mortality, aneurysm-related mortality, 30-day reinterventions, stent graft migration, limb occlusion, sac expansion, graft rupture, type 1 endoleaks, type 3 endoleaks, and total reinterventions (all Ps > .05). There was a significant decrease in type II endoleaks in patients with DCIA compared to NDCIA (NDCIA 12.9% and DCIA 0.0%; P = .02).

Conclusion:

Patients presenting with abdominal aortic aneurysms with DCIA can be successfully treated with EVAR with no increase in complications without extension into the EIA.
Alpha and Omega
Authors: Meglich Patricia A. , Gumbus Andra
Published: July 2015

While workplace bullying often involves multiple perpetrators, limited research has investigated this important aspect of the phenomenon. In the present study, we explored the perceived severity and comparison of actual behaviors experienced when different perpetrators attack the target. Survey results showed that bullying by one’s supervisor is perceived to be more severe than bullying by a group of coworkers and that coworkers are more likely to bully when the supervisor bullies. When working as a group, bullies focus their attack on the target’s personal life rather than on his or her work life. Implications for research and practice are provided.
Cold-Plasma Coagulation on the Surface of the Small Bowel Is Safe in Pigs
Authors: Hoffmann Martin , Ulrich Anita , Habermann Jens Karsten , Bouchard Ralf , Laubert Tilman , Bruch Hans-Peter , Keck Tobias , Schloericke Erik
Published: July 2015

Introduction. Surgical treatment in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis is often limited by the extent of small bowel involvement. We investigated the results of the application of cold-plasma coagulation on the surface of the small bowel. Methods. After permission by the federal government of Schleswig-Holstein, 8 female pigs underwent a laparoscopy and cold-plasma coagulation on the small bowel with different energy levels. Cold plasma is generated by high-frequency energy that is directed through helium gas. After 12 to 18 days a laparotomy was done and the abdomen was inspected for peritonitis, fistula, or other pathology. Results. Perioperative morbidity was low with transient diarrhea in 1 pig and loss of appetite for 1 day in another pig. We saw 1 interenteric fistula that was clinically not apparent after accidently prolonged application of cold-plasma coagulation (6 seconds instead of 2 seconds) with the highest energy level of 100 W. We did not observe any mortality. The depth of necrosis after application of different energy levels was dependent on the generator energy. We observed statistically significant differences between the different energy levels (20 W vs 10 W [ P = .014], 75 W vs 50 W [ P = .011]). The comparison of the necrosis depths after the application of 100 W and 75 W almost reached statistical significance ( P = .059). We observed distinct interenteric adhesions as a result of the coagulation. Discussion. The application of cold-plasma coagulation on the surface of vital bowel in pigs is safe. We would recommend against the use of the highest energy level of 100 W before more clinical data are available.
The Survival of the Friendliest: Contemporary Indian Publishing in English at the Frankfurt Book Fair
Authors: Gonsalves Roanna
Published: July 2015

This article examines the practice of Indian publishers at the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF). Fieldwork conducted at the FBF in 2012 suggests that friendliness is a disposition that is sometimes mobilised as a strategy by Indian publishers who are enabled yet constrained by the structural factors of the post-millennial Indian literary field. I argue that Indian publishers, as newcomers or outsiders, negotiate their positions at the FBF through strategies of friendliness mobilised in various ways: through friendly-consolidation and friendly-venturing by those in power in order to create new relations and to maintain and build on existing relations, as well through friendly-resistance by those in dominated positions to create new positions in the field. By thinking in friendliness, the strategies mobilised by Indian publishers provide a counterpoint to the Bourdieusian envisioning of the engagement between the establishment and newcomers as discontinuity and rupture.
A sensor construction to measure contact between helmet and neck brace during motocross riding
Authors: Thiele Gerrit , Kafka Patricia , Litzenberger Stefan , Sabo Anton
Published: July 2015

Motocross racing is widely associated with a high risk of injuries, and those to the cervical spine are often regarded as the most severe. To prevent such injuries neck braces are worn, which distribute the forces to adjacent body structures. However, many riders refuse to wear these braces due to a reduced freedom of movement of the head, which might lead to reduced performance. In this paper a simple low-cost measuring system to record the contact locations and contact times between the helmet and neck brace in motocross riding is presented and evaluated. This system can be used to evaluate the influence of neck braces during common riding situations specific to motocross, but is not designed to evaluate the functionality of neck braces in the case of crashes. The setup consists of 12 miniature push-buttons, mounted on the underside of the helmet at equally distributed distances. With the setup presented, on-track measurements are conducted on a motocross track and the results are evaluated for total ride duration, single laps and special riding situations typical for motocross (turns, bumps and jumps). Our results show that contact between helmet and brace is common (average contact time: 17% of riding duration), and that the measurement system delivers reliable data and can be used to evaluate the helmet–brace contact, leading to further improvements in neck brace design and freedom of movement for the rider.
Vertical osteoconductivity of sputtered hydroxyapatite-coated mini titanium implants after dura mater elevation: Rabbit calvarial model
Authors: Wang Xin , Zakaria Osama , Madi Marwa , Kasugai Shohei
Published: July 2015

This study evaluated the quantity and quality of newly formed vertical bone induced by sputtered hydroxyapatite-coated titanium implants compared with sandblasted acid-etched implants after dura mater elevation. Hydroxyapatite-coated and non-coated implants (n = 20/group) were used and divided equally into two groups. All implants were randomly placed into rabbit calvarial bone (four implants for each animal) emerging from the inferior cortical layer, displacing the dura mater 3 mm below the original bone. Animals were sacrificed at 4 (n = 5) and 8 (n = 5) weeks post-surgery. Vertical bone height and area were analyzed histologically and radiographically below the original bone. Vertical bone formation was observed in both groups. At 4 and 8 weeks, vertical bone height reached a significantly higher level in the hydroxyapatite compared with the non-coated group ( p < 0.05). Vertical bone area was significantly larger in the hydroxyapatite compared with the non-coated group at 4 and 8 weeks ( p < 0.05). This study indicates that vertical bone formation can be induced by dura mater elevation and sputtered hydroxyapatite coating can enhance vertical bone formation.
Discourse and dissonance: religious agendas in the 104th Congress
Authors: Blackstone Bethany , Oldmixon Elizabeth A
Published: July 2015

This paper investigates the religious dimension of Republican legislators’ participation in one-minute speeches during the 104th Congress (1995–1996). Many have characterized the House Republican Conference that emerged after the 1994 elections as a highly cohesive majority party. Even in that context, however, legislators represent varied personal agendas, and in part these are informed by religion. We topically coded a subset of floor speeches to measure the extent to which variation is observed in the issues addressed by Members of Congress. The findings demonstrate that on key policy domains, such as the role of government, culture, and social welfare, speech participation varies systematically on the basis of member religion. This suggests that legislative participation is influenced by genuine personal preferences in additional to strategic political factors.
Vintage errors: do real-time economic data improve election forecasts?
Authors: Kayser Mark Andreas , Leininger Arndt
Published: July 2015

Economic performance is a key component of most election forecasts. When fitting models, however, most forecasters unwittingly assume that the actual state of the economy, a state best estimated by the multiple periodic revisions to official macroeconomic statistics, drives voter behavior. The difference in macroeconomic estimates between revised and original data vintages can be substantial, commonly over 100% (two-fold) for economic growth estimates, making the choice of which data release to use important for the predictive validity of a model. We systematically compare the predictions of four forecasting models for numerous US presidential elections using real-time and vintage data. We find that newer data are not better data for election forecasting: forecasting error increases with data revisions. This result suggests that voter perceptions of economic growth are influenced more by media reports about the economy, which are based on initial economic estimates, than by the actual state of the economy.
Malignant ascites in patients with terminal cancer is effectively treated with permanent peritoneal catheter
Authors: Meier Michelle , Mortensen Frank V. , Madsen Hans Henrik Torp
Published: July 2015

Background

Malignant ascites is a pathological condition caused by intra- or extra-abdominal disseminated cancer. The object of treatment is palliation. In search of an effective and minimally invasive palliative treatment of malignant ascites placement of a permanent intra peritoneal catheter has been suggested.

Purpose

To evaluate our experiences with treatment of malignant ascites by implantation of a permanent PleurX catheter.

Material and Methods

A retrospective study was conducted, comprising 20 consecutive patients with terminal cancer, who had a permanent PleurX catheter implanted because of malignant ascites in the period from February to November 2014. Using the patients’ medical records, we retrieved data on patients and procedures.

Results

The technical success rate was 100%. Catheter patency was 95.2%, one catheter was removed due to dislocation. Ten patients (50.0%) experienced minor adverse events. No procedural difficulties were reported and there was no need for additional treatment of malignant ascites after catheter implantation. Median residual survival after catheter implantation was 27 days.

Conclusion

Implantation of a permanent PleurX catheter is a minimally invasive and effective procedure with only minor adverse events and a high rate of catheter patency in patients with malignant ascites caused by terminal cancer disease.
Silibinin down-regulates FAT10 and modulate TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced chromosomal instability and apoptosis sensitivity
Authors: Gao Yun , Theng Steven Setiawan , Mah Way-Champ , Lee Caroline G. L.
Published: July 2015

Pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IFN-γ (TI), play important yet diverse roles in cell survival, proliferation, and death. Recent evidence highlights FAT10 as a downstream molecule in the pathway of inflammation-induced tumorigenesis through mediating the effect of cytokines in causing numerical CIN and protecting cells from cytokines-induced cell death. cDNA microarray analysis of cells treated with TI revealed 493 deregulated genes with FAT10 being the most up-regulated (85.7-fold) gene and NF-κB being the key nodal hub of TI-response genes. Silibinin is reported to be a powerful antioxidant and has anti-C effects against various carcinomas by affecting various signaling molecules/pathways including MAPK, NF-κB and STATs. As NF-κB signaling pathway is a major mediator of the tumor-promoting activities of TI, we thus examine the effects of silibinin on TI-induced FAT10 expression and CIN. Our data showed that silibinin inhibited expression of FAT10, TI-induced chromosome instability (CIN) as well as sensitizes cells to TI-induced apoptosis. Significantly, silibinin suppressed intra-tumorally injected TNF-α-induced tumor growth. This represents the first report associating silibinin with FAT10 and demonstrating that silibinin can modulate TI-induced CIN, apoptosis sensitivity and suppressing TNF-α-induced tumor growth.
Region and dynamic specificities of adult neural stem cells and oligodendrocyte precursors in myelin regeneration in the mouse brain
Authors: Brousse Béatrice , Magalon Karine , Durbec Pascale , Cayre Myriam
Published: July 2015

Myelin regeneration can occur in the brain following demyelination. Parenchymal oligodendrocyte progenitors (pOPC) are known to play a crucial role in this process. Neural stem cells (NSC) residing in the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) also have the ability to generate oligodendrocytes but their contribution to endogenous myelin repair was so far considered to be negligible. Here, we addressed the relative contribution of pOPC and V-SVZ-derived neural progenitors (SVZdNP) to remyelination in cuprizone mouse models of acute or chronic corpus callosum (CC) demyelination. Using genetic tracing, we uncover an unexpected massive and precocious recruitment of SVZdNP in the anterior CC after acute demyelination. These cells very quickly adopt an oligodendrocytic fate and robustly generate myelinating cells as efficiently as pOPC do. In more posterior areas of the CC, SVZdNP recruitment is less important whereas pOPC contribute more, underlining a regionalization in the mobilization of these two cell populations. Strikingly, in a chronic model when demyelination insult is sustained in time, SVZdNP minimally contribute to myelin repair, a failure associated with a depletion of NSC and a drastic drop of progenitor cell proliferation in V-SVZ. In this context, pOPC remain reactive, and become the main contributors to myelin regeneration. Altogether our results highlight a region and context-dependent contribution of SVZdNP to myelin repair that can equal pOPC. They also raise the question of a possible exhaustion of V-SVZ proliferation potential in chronic pathologies.
The role of the pericardium in the valveless, tubular heart of the tunicate,Ciona savignyi
Authors: Waldrop Lindsay D. , Miller Laura A.
Published: July 2015

Tunicates, small invertebrates within the phylum Chordata, possess a robust tubular heart which pumps blood through their open circulatory systems without the use of valves. This heart consists of two major components: the tubular myocardium, a flexible layer of myocardial cells which actively contracts to drive fluid down the length of the tube; and a pericardium, a stiff, outer layer of cells that surrounds the myocardium and creates a fluid-filled space between the myocardium and the pericardium. We investigate the role of the pericardium through in vivo manipulations on tunicate hearts and computational simulations of the myocardium and pericardium using the immersed boundary method. Experimental manipulations reveal that damage to the pericardium results in aneurysm-like bulging of the myocardium and major reductions in the net blood flow and percent closure of the heart's lumen during contraction. In addition, varying the pericardium-to-myocardium (PM) diameter ratio by increasing damage severity was positively correlated with peak dye flow in the heart. Computational simulations mirror the results of varying the PM ratio experimentally. Reducing the stiffness of the myocardium in the simulations reduced mean blood flow only for simulations without a pericardium. These results indicate that the pericardium has the ability to functionally increase the stiffness of the myocardium and limit myocardial aneurysms. The pericardium's function is likely to enhance flow through the highly resistive circulatory system by acting as a support structure in the absence of connective tissue within the myocardium.
Synthesis and Properties of New Liquid Crystalline Organogelators with a Tris[4-(benzoylamino)phenyl]amine Core
Authors: Kubo Kanji , Moriyama Yuichiro , Ujiie Seiji , Mori Akira
Published: July 2015

As a new liquid crystalline organogelator, tris[4-(benzoylamino)phenyl]amine derivatives were synthesized. Tris[4-(benzoylamino)phenyl]amine derivatives with six or nine alkoxy groups exhibited an enantiotropic hexagonal columnar phase. Furthermore tris[4-(benzoylamino)phenyl]amine derivatives gelled organic liquids such as n-hexane, decane, hexadecene, ethanol, 1-hexanol, 1-decanol, chloroform, toluene, salad oil, limonene, linalool, nerol, citronellol, linalyl acetate, lemon oil, lavender oil, orange oil, and rose oil. The terpene gels show good release of the volatile components over a long period.
Quartz Crystal Microbalance Analyses of SpnR Binding Constants as a Negative Regulator of N-Acylhomoserine Lactone-dependent Quorum Sensing in Serratia marcescens AS-1
Authors: Takayama Yuriko , Nasuno Eri , Iimura Ken-ichi , Morohoshi Tomohiro , Kato Norihiro
Published: July 2015

Quartz crystal microbalance measurements suggest that a quorum-sensing LuxR homolog receptor SpnR in Serratia marcescens AS-1 dissociates from spn box after complexation with N-hexanoylhomoserine lactone (C6HSL). After reaching quorum of cells on increasing the C6HSL concentration, forming stable SpnR–C6HSL complex probably leads to conformational changes in the DNA-binding domain, and its binding constant reduces by one order after complexation. The interaction analyses of immobilized spn box on a gold electrode with additive SpnR clearly shows the negative regulation for spn operon.
Steady-state Fluorescence Investigation of Interaction between Pyrene-labeled Polysulfonates Carrying Hydrophobic Group and Surfactants
Authors: Mizusaki Masanobu
Published: July 2015

The interaction of hydrophobically random-modified and end-capped poly[2-(acrylamido)-2-methylpropanesulfonate]s, which are polyanions, with positively and negatively charged surfactants was investigated by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy of labeled pyrene. The results revealed that both the polyanions interact with the positively charged surfactants more easily compared with the negatively charged surfactants although the polyanions do interact with the negatively charged surfactants due to hydrophobic interaction. Moreover, the end-capped polyanion had stronger electrostatic attraction with the positively charged surfactant compared with the random-modified polyanion.
Išvengiamos hospitalizacijos kaip ambulatorinės sveikatos priežiūros veiklos atspindys Lietuvoje 2012 m.: Ką galima pakeisti?
Authors: Mekšriūnaitė Sandra , Gurevičius Romualdas
Published: July 2015

Background. Avoidable hospitalizations (AH) are hospitalizations that could be avoided through accessible and effective ambulatory care setting which provides preventive care, early diagnostics and disease management. The scale of AH in Lithuania up to this date has been scarcely researched, but it is a topical issue as it is in all other countries with health systems that provide universal coverage. Purposeful strategies in policy and management that increases the effectiveness of ambulatory care setting could reduce the number of AH and save budget as stationary care is known to be very expensive. The aim of this study is to evaluate patterns of AH in Lithuania in 2012 and to recommend strategies for reducing the number of AH.
Materials and methods. The research was based on Australian methodology, which is used to monitor the quality of ambulatory care. The study population was all residents of Lithuania that were hospitalized due to ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) in 2012. ACSC were selected by ICD-10-AM code and ACHI procedure codes. Data on hospitalizations was gathered from National Health Insurance Fund Information System (“Sveidra”) and Statistics of Lithuania.
Results. Over 110 thousands of acute care hospitalizations in Lithuania in 2012 can be considered as avoidable. It accounted for 16,2 percent of overall acute care hospitalizations. The majority of AH were due to diabetes and its complications, angina, congestive heart failure, influenza and pneumonia. AH rates differed by gender, age and residence place (urban/rural). The majority of patients were at pre-school and retirement age. AH rate for males and rural residents was higher than for females and urban residents. The majority of patients were hospitalized with committal. Rates of AH in municipalities ranged from 27.0 to 57.7 cases per 1000 population. Differences among municipalities can be considered as consequences of systematic causes in municipalities.
Conclusions. AH is a significant problem in Lithuania. Reducing the number of AH provides an opportunity to reduce the expenditure of National Health Insurance Fund. Not all opportunities are being used in ambulatory care to avoid the hospitalization. Further research on AH is recommended to elucidate essential reasons and to plan the strategies to increase the effectiveness of ambulatory care setting.
Newborn Murder and its Legal Prevention
Authors: Stasiūnienė Jurgita , Justickis Viktoras , Jasulaitis Algimantas
Published: July 2015

A newborn’s murder committed by his/her mother always causes an exceptional emotional response in the society. The fact of neonaticide evokes emotions not only because a new life is the most vulnerable part of the society unable to defend itself, but also the mother’s aggression directed to her own “ flesh and blood” contradicts the laws of existence, denies the power of mother instincts, unconditional love for her children. The aim of the work is to study the legal regulation in Lithuania, prevalence, dynamics of this crime, its murder locations, social characteristics of offenders, possibilities of applying preventive, rehabilitative measures and the new prospects to enlarge the efficiency of the legal persecution of the neonaticide in Lithuania. The retrospective investigation was conducted in a period from 1990 to 2012 by examining depersonalised statistical cards provided by The Information Technology and Communications Department under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of neonaticide was carried out in terms of a holistic generalisation of the issue, i.e., the infanticide situation in Lithuania has been investigated in depth, practical recommendations have been provided to introduce new concepts to the scientific doctrine, to adjust the existing legal acts on neonaticide and to develop new legal acts, as well as introduce preventive and rehabilitative measures. Results have shown that women, who murdered their first-day newborn at the time of delivery or shortly thereafter, were relatively young, with low education, without any profession or occupation at the time of the crime. The most common crime location is village, inside the residential place of a woman. Lithuania has not yet adopted a legal neonaticide prevention system. In Lithuania, the legal provisions relating to the murder of newborn should be improved.
Vilius Grabauskas. Autorių kolektyvo parengtos monografijos „E. Sveikatos plėtros integruotos transformacijos: suinteresuotųjų pusių tinklo perspektyva“ recenzija
Authors: Grabauskas Vilius
Published: July 2015

Review of collective monograph “Integrated transformations of e-health: perspectives of stakeholders”
Autorių kolektyvo parengtos monografijos „E. Sveikatos plėtros integruotos transformacijos: suinteresuotųjų pusių tinklo perspektyva“ recenzija
Authors: Sudnickas Tadas
Published: July 2015

Review of collective monograph “Integrated transformations of e-health: perspectives of stakeholders”
Evidence, fidelity, and organisational rationales: multiple uses of Motivational Interviewing in a social services agency
Authors: Björk Alexander
Published: July 2015

In discussions and empirical investigations of the implementation of evidence-based interventions there is often a narrow focus on treatment fidelity. Studying a social services agency trying to incorporate Motivational Interviewing (MI), commonly regarded as evidence-based, this paper problematises a one-sided attention to treatment fidelity by showing how non-fidelity can be constructive from an organisational perspective. While treatment fidelity is one important aspect, it is argued that there might be other rationales to take into account when implementing evidencebased interventions in professional practices.
The role of an integrated service design and monitoring tool in the modernisation of social care in Tajikistan
Authors: Kuzminskyi Volodymyr , Rayment Chris , Komilova Zamira
Published: July 2015

The provision of social care services in the Republic of Tajikistan continues to be essentially modelled upon previous Soviet approaches and its development and modernisation remains an ongoing challenge. This paper reviews the characteristics, objectives and potential limitations of the three-stage ‘integrated tool’ that has been piloted to guide the reform of social care service, that comprises service specifications, service delivery standards and a monitoring module. The paper also considers how the approach used is contributing to changes in the regulatory framework, encouraging thinking about service commissioning and promoting workforce development in the absence of an overarching strategy.
Poverty and social justice in central Asia
Authors: O'Brien Clare
Published: July 2015

This article introduces a themed section of four papers on poverty and social justice in central Asia. The countries covered – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Mongolia – differ enormously. Kazakhstan and Mongolia are vast, middle-income countries benefiting from natural resource wealth; Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are small, mountainous republics with much fewer resources. All have devoted considerable attention to social policy reform to ensure that social sector services improve their outcomes for individuals, and increasingly cost-efficiently. The papers present evidence on the effectiveness of policies and programmes for cash transfers and food stamps, social care and healthcare, generating lessons that are applicable elsewhere.
Bringing young fathers into the fold: policy challenges and developments
Authors: MP David Lammy
Published: July 2015

In this paper, David Lammy, Labour MP and founder of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fatherhood, outlines the United Kingdom’s (UK) legislative framework that affects fathers in general and young fathers in particular. This includes: the identification of young fathers within support services and on birth certificates; provision for and the take-up of parental leave; and legal aid entitlements for pursuing contact through the family courts. Drawing on Scandinavian legislative models, Lammy proposes the development of progressive laws to support and inculcate a culture of active and involved fatherhood in the UK.
Young Dads TV: digital voices of young fathers
Authors: Colfer Scott , Turner-Uaandja Hannah , Johnson Lemar
Published: July 2015

There exist a number of discourses surrounding young fathers that, until recently, have been dominated by professionals and academics, leaving young fathers with no forum for their own voices. Young Dads TV (2010-13) provided a major corrective to this state of affairs, giving young fathers their own collective voice through the power of the media and the internet. This voice continues with the Young Dads Council (2013-present), an advocacy project that employs young fathers to reduce the poverty and isolation of their peers. This paper describes the challenges of providing an ‘authentic’ voice for an isolated community and the opportunities offered by digital technology.
Young fathers: unseen but not invisible
Authors: Osborn Mark
Published: July 2015

There is an ever-growing body of research that evidences the need for services to engage with young fathers in order to improve outcomes for their children. While some specialist services are engaging effectively with this client group, the majority of mainstream services struggle to develop strategies to engage with these young men. This article argues that identifying young fathers as ‘hard to reach’ does nothing to redress this and that systematic engagement is the key to developing good practice.
“Not a fully homogeneous grouping”: Forming an Office of Worship in the Archdiocese of Seattle
Authors: Callaghan Jennifer A.
Published: July 2015

When the Archdiocese of Seattle considered the question of forming a new office to coordinate liturgical efforts in 1976, it consulted extensively with local laity and clergy about the project. The proliferation of liturgical reforms and the increased media attention directed at Catholics and their liturgy following the Second Vatican Council influenced that consultation process as did local preferences for geographic and institutional decentralization. The small task force charged with conducting research discerned a range of ways Seattle Catholics imagined a potential office with some envisioning an aid to local autonomy and others a source of binding norms. In their recommendation for the office’s formation, the task force proposed a model that balanced a strategy for collaboration with one for forming local Catholics into communities who could engage in that collaboration. They hoped to form parishes into homogeneous groups, minimizing liturgical conflict and maximizing common worship.
Sugar, Empire, and Revolution in Eastern Cuba: The Guantánamo Sugar Company Records in the Cuban Heritage Collection
Authors: Casey Matthew
Published: July 2015

Les archives de The Guantánamo Sugar Company dans la Collection Héritage Cubaines à l’Université de Miami représentent peu de sources de documentaires accessibles sur la plantation sucrière de la province de Guantanamo à Cuba républicain. Peu de chercheurs et pratiquement aucune publication ont utilisé cette collection. Cette riche collection de documents sur Guantanamo permettra aux chercheurs de comprendre et d’établir des relations entre les dynamiques politiques, économiques et sociales avec des processus nationaux, régionaux et globaux. Cette collection servira aussi à tous ceux qui s’intéressent aux différentes questions régionales à l’intérieur du Cuba. Cette note de recherche a utilisé les archives pour explorer les dossiers locaux du territoire, le travail et la politique de Guantanamo durant l’époque républicaine dans le contexte plus profond des processus nationaux et internationaux. La collection est spécialement utile à cause de ses illustrations sur les compagnies sucrières durant la Révolution proclamée en 1959. Cette note identifie des sources utiles pour les chercheurs travaillant sur l’histoire des commerces, la science, la technologie et l’environnement.
Mobilization, Partisanship, and Political Party Dynamics in Puerto Rico, 1917-1920s
Authors: Wright Micah
Published: July 2015

Cet article défend l’importance du Service Sélectif et la Première Guerre Mondiale relatif à la restructuration de l’administration coloniale et les dynamiques de partis politiques à Porto Rico. Il analyse la volonté des principaux partis politiques de l’ile (le Parti uni, les Républicains et les Socialistes), et présente comment les partis utilisent le service militaire obligatoire dans le but promouvoir leurs programmes politiques. Durant la guerre chacun de ces partis politiques se sont exprimés pour revendiquer la cause des États-Unis pour obtenir le soutien de Washington en faisant des propositions pour résoudre le problème de leur statu politique. Ainsi, l’administration coloniale et les autorités métropolitaines ont utilisés la guerre pour restructurer les relations coloniales, mais de façon contradictoires. Contrairement à la tendance de l’historiographie récente qui considère la continuité essentielle des pratiques politiques après la guerre, cet article explore les changements qui ont provoqué les crises politiques et sociales durant la décennie des années 1920.
El progreso del azúcar es el progreso de Cuba. La industria azucarera y la economía cubana a principios del siglo XX desde el análisis de una fuente: El Azúcar. Revista Industrial Técnico-Práctica
Authors: García Antonio Santamaría
Published: July 2015

Après la Guerre de l’Indépendance de Cuba (1895-1898), malgré les conséquences de cette guerre, l’industrie sucrière cubaine a continué à réaliser des changements technologiques nécessaires à la fin du XX siècle en raison de compétition. Elle a aussi répondu à des changements de manière spécifique en se dotant de sa propre infrastructure, en abolissant l’esclavage, les conséquences de la guerre, ainsi qu’en créant un accord commercial avec les Etas Unis qui à cette époque occupait toute l’île. L’industrie du sucre s’est dotée d’une infrastructure innovante afin d’augmenter sa production et de répondre à la demande du marché nord-américain. Les progrès techniques ont engendré des problèmes d’organisation, qui ont poussé l’industrie a opéré des changements importants. Ceci a permis aux industries d’être plus innovants et plus rentables. Le thème requière une analyse profonde mais il faut souligner le manque de ressources a ce sujet. Cependant, il est possible de réaliser une étude plus profonde à partir des transformations et des donnés présentés dans une revue publier entre 1900 et 1902.
El retrato de una quimera. Testigos mudos del ideal de la burgueía agraria.*
Authors: Navarro Imilcy Balboa
Published: July 2015

A partir d’une étude de l’œuvre de Ramiro Guerra Mudos testigos. Crónica del ex-cafetal Jesús Nazareno (1947), cet article met en envidence les débats sur la nation et le territoire cubain en présentant une analyse de la structure agraire de l’île au cour de la deuxième partie du XX siècle ainsi que les conditions qui empêchent de raffermir les petits et moyens propriétaires ruraux qui, contrairement à l’Europe ou Etats-Unis n’ont pas pu s’organiser pour construire un modèle paysan – colons — ni surmonter le stade d’une simple exploitation basée sur le travail familial qui correspondait au paysan traditionnel.