bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MicroRNA-30a Suppresses the Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells by Inhibiting Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
Authors: Zheng Jianjian , Wang Wei , Yu Fujun , Dong Peihong , Chen Bicheng , Zhou Meng-Tao
Published: March 2018

Background/Aims: The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is considered as a pivotal event in liver fibrosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process has been reported to be involved in HSC activation. It is known that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a pro-fibrotic or anti-fibrotic role in HSC activation. Recently, emerging studies show that miR-30a is down-regulated in human cancers and over-expression of miR-30a inhibits tumor growth and invasion via suppressing EMT process. However, whether miR-30a could regulate EMT process in HSC activation is still unclear. Methods: miR-30a expression was quantified using real-time PCR in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced rat liver fibrosis, activated HSCs and patients with cirrhosis. Roles of miR-30a in liver fibrosis in vivo and in vitro were also analyzed. Luciferase activity assays were performed to examine the binding of miR-30a to the 3′-untranslated region of snail family transcriptional repressor 1 (Snai1). Results: miR-30a was down-regulated in human cirrhotic tissues. In CCl4 rats, reduced miR-30a was found in fibrotic liver tissues as well as isolated HSCs. There was a significant reduction in miR-30a in primary HSCs during culture days. miR-30a over-expression resulted in the suppression of CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. Restoration of miR-30a led to the inhibition of HSC activation including cell proliferation, α-SMA and collagen expression. Notably, miR-30a inhibited EMT process, with a reduction in TGF-β1 and Vimentin as well as an increase in GFAP and E-cadherin. miR-30a induced a significant reduction in Snai1 protein expression when compared with the control. Interestingly, Snail protein expression was increased during liver fibrosis, indicating that there may be a negative correlation between miR-30a level and Snai1 protein expression. Further studies demonstrated that Snai1 was a target of miR-30a. Conclusion: Our results suggest that miR-30a inhibits EMT process, at least in part, via reduction of Snai1, leading to the suppression of HSC activation in liver fibrosis.
Sp1 Plays an Important Role in Vascular Calcification Both In Vivo and In Vitro
Authors: Zhang Xinyu , Li Rui , Qin Xiaoteng , Wang Lei , Xiao Jie , Song Yu , Sheng Xi , Guo Mengqi , Ji Xiaoping
Published: March 2018

Background

Vascular calcification and increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are closely related in patients with end‐stage renal disease and diabetes mellitus. Specific protein 1 (Sp1) is a transactivation molecule that plays a crucial role in the regulation of apoptosis, fibrosis, angiogenesis, and other pathological disorders. There is evidence that specific protein 1 (Sp1) directly stimulates the transcription of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (
BMP
2) and that
BMP
2 plays a key role in the calcification process in the
BMP
2–expressing F9 cell model system. Here, we investigated whether Sp1 plays an important role in vascular calcification and its potential regulatory mechanism in vascular calcification.

Methods and Results

In this study, vascular calcification was induced in male Wistar rats by administration of nicotine (25 mg/kg) and vitamin D3 (300 000 IU/kg). These rats were randomly selected for treatment with adenovirus harboring Sp1 knockdown gene or empty virus. The mechanism of Sp1 in vascular smooth muscle cells cultured in high phosphate medium was studied. Based on our findings, the Sp1 gene silencing or inhibition improved calcium deposition, which was partly achieved by inhibiting phenotype switch, apoptosis, and matrix vesicle release of vascular smooth muscle cells. Moreover, Sp1 can activate
BMP
2 transcription by binding to the Sp1‐binding element of the
BMP
2 promoter.

Conclusions

Overall, elevated Sp1 exerts a pro‐apoptotic effect, promoting
BMP
2 transcription and further accumulating vascular calcification. Proper and timely regulation of Sp1 expression may be a potential strategy for treatment of aging, end‐stage renal disease, and diabetic‐related macrovascular disease treatment.
Tout Fait Maison: A Law Code Crafted by the Eighteenth Century Jewry of Metz
Authors: Herman Shael
Published: March 2018

This inquiry examines Le Recueil des Loix, Coutumes, et Usages Observes par les Juifs de Metz. Evocative of the medieval German Sachsenspiegel, the volume’s detailed regulations supply a rich portrait of a Jewish community in Alsace-Lorraine during the turbulent final decades of the ancien regime. While France evolved during these decades from feudalism to democracy, the Jews transitioned from serfs main-mortables or royal chattels to citizenship. Ideals of the emerging French democracy were imprinted upon the Code Napoleon (1805), a distinctively anti-feudal, secular expression of French citizens’ newfound autonomy. In contrast, the Recueil originated in an act of will on the part of the Jews’ overlords. In accordance with royal orders, it was deposited in the records of the royal court at Metz in about 1742; royal judges and members of the bar consulted the Recueil in all manner of disputes involving Jewish litigants and Jewish law. The Recueil, as the handiwork of eighteenth century Alsatian Jews, was unique in engrafting Jewish law and ethics upon French law of the ancien regime.
Rabbinic Inquiry (Hakirah) as the Place Rabbinic and Academic Talmudic Discourse Meet: The Case of “Two Hold a Cloak”
Authors: Blankovsky Yuval
Published: March 2018

This paper explores the common ground and differences between academic and rabbinic Talmudic hermeneutics. It does this by situating R. Elhanan Bunem Wasserman’s (1874–1941) inquiry pertaining to the much beloved Talmudic debate over “Two Hold a Cloak” within the context of the critical academic commentary on that Talmudic discourse.
Children and r2p: An Introduction
Authors: Glanville Luke
Published: March 2018

This introduction to the special issue on Children and r2p lays out the parallel development of the r2p and Children and Armed Conflict agendas over the last two decades and surveys how key r2p documents developed during this period have engaged with issues of child protection. It then outlines the articles that follow.
‘Children Heard, Half-Heard?’: A Practitioner’s Look for Children in the Responsibility to Protect and Normative Agendas on Protection in Armed Conflict
Authors: Shusterman Jeremy , Godwin Michelle
Published: March 2018

When the United Nations (un) agreed on a definition of the Responsibility to Protect (r2p) at the 2005 World Summit, the two paragraphs it endorsed articulated what r2p stands for, giving the concept a focused but narrow remit around protecting populations specifically from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in armed conflict. In its next paragraph, the un Membership reiterated concerns on the impact of armed conflict on children echoing the landmark 1612 Resolution by the Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict (caac) adopted a few weeks before. Though side-by-side in the text, caac and r2p were not linked. To this day, for international practitioners in emergency responses, the interaction between both remains unclear. While this simultaneous peak moment for r2p and caac may have occurred by chance, this article describes how both concepts (as advocacy tools and instruments for practitioners to ‘respond’) emerged out of similar concern for protecting civilians – including children – in conflict. However, the link between both concepts should not be overstated. While r2p and caac fit together for the intentions they share, this happened more coincidentally than purposefully. This article argues, taking an international practitioner’s perspective, that both concepts should not be understood as always operating at the same level. caac has grown from an advocacy platform to an umbrella of different programmes, responses, tools and frameworks, including the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (mrm) on Children and Armed Conflict. Even if applied with variable success, these tools and approaches under the caac agenda chart some ways practitioners can hope to do more towards protecting children in conflict. But for those same practitioners, delivering on a Responsibility to Protect is a different question – one where their ‘responsibility’ is at best secondary and implicit, because r2p sits squarely as a primary and explicit responsibility of states – who are also the ultimate duty bearers for children’s rights. While the echoes of a child rights agenda can be heard in the conversation around r2p, and while r2p can help frame and drive efforts by child protection practitioners to respond to some of the worst situations children face, r2p is, for the protection agency field officer, an aspirational goal, necessarily out of reach.
‘The Intolerable Impact of Armed Conflict on Children’: The United Nations Security Council and the Protection of Children in Armed Conflict
Authors: Lee-Koo Katrina
Published: March 2018

The United Nations Security Council’s Children and Armed Conflict agenda is animated by a protection ethic. While the protection of children from violence in armed conflict is entirely appropriate, this article demonstrates that the Council’s singular focus upon protection goes beyond merely appropriate, and borders upon overbearing. The article traces the ways that dominant conceptualisations of children as ‘innocent victims’ has animated an agenda that focuses primarily upon their victimisation that, in turn, reinforces the legitimacy of the protection ethic. It argues that this excludes a nuanced understanding of the lived experiences of children in conflict. In this sense, the agenda is closed to exploring the ways in which children resist, adapt, shape, and survive conflict in ways that position them as agents of their own protection and – in some circumstances – agents of community resilience amidst conflict. Ultimately, this article argues that re-visioning children’s relationship to armed conflict provides a strategy to better ensure children’s rights and reflects their relationship to peace.
The Politics of Norm Glocalisation: Limits in Applying r2p to Protecting Children
Authors: Prantl Jochen , Nakano Ryoko
Published: March 2018

Two-thirds of the global child population lives in countries affected by violent and high-intensity conflict. International humanitarian law provides broad protection for children in the event of armed conflict. However, as the 2017 report of the un Secretary-General on children and armed conflict stresses, the scale and severity of grave violations has increased. This paper addresses the central puzzle of why the existing legal and normative frameworks of child protection have achieved so little, in addressing the marginalisation and disempowerment of children in armed conflict. We argue that the contemporary application of r2p in protecting children will be limited unless at least two fundamental challenges are met: (a) taming power politics; and (b) squaring inherent contradictions between the global r2p norm and national and regional normative frameworks of child protection. We highlight the case of Japan to illustrate the limits of the contemporary application of r2p in protecting children.
Post-War Stigma, Violence and ‘Kony Children’: The Responsibility to Protect Children Born in Lord’s Resistance Army Captivity in Northern Uganda
Authors: Denov Myriam , Lakor Atim Angela
Published: March 2018

The R2P framework underscores the responsibility to protect populations caught up in the maelstrom of war and armed conflict, and as such, holds relevance for children born of conflict-related sexual violence. This paper explores the role and framework of R2P in relation to children born of conflict-related sexual violence in northern Uganda, a population largely overlooked in the post-war period. Drawing upon the direct experiences and perspectives of a sample of 60 children born in Lord’s Resistance Army (lra) captivity, the paper highlights the significant stigma and violence that these children continue to face in the post-war context. The post-war lives of these children not only demonstrate the multiple hardships they face as a result of the fallout of war, but also highlight the situation of these children as secondary and intergenerational victims of war that would benefit from the protection of the R2P framework and subsequent support.
Metaphors Otumfoɔ Lives by: A Cognitive Linguistic Study of Metaphors in some Addresses by Otumfoɔ Osei Tutu ii, Asantehene
Authors: Afreh Esther Serwaah
Published: March 2018

This paper is a cognitive linguistic study of metaphors in some addresses by His Majesty Otumfoɔ Osei Tutu ii, Asantehene, within the framework of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (cmt), put forward by Lakoff and Johnson (1980). The aim was to identify the metaphors underlying some of his expressions, and also to demonstrate how ideological values are subtly intertwined with metaphors in diplomatic discourse. Among others, the following metaphors were identified: LIFE IS A JOURNEY, LIFE IS A BATTLE, IDEAS ARE FOOD, KNOWING IS SEEING, DEATH IS A LOSS and DEATH IS SLEEP/REST. The analysis also reveals that a small set of primary metaphors – LIFE IS A JOURNEY and LIFE IS A BATTLE provide basic level structure for complex metaphors. The understanding and explanation of the metaphors are closely related to the social and cultural beliefs of the King, thus revealing the existence of a coherent conceptual organisation which derives from our bodily and social experience.
New species in the family Graphidaceae (Ascomycota: Ostropales) from the Philippines
Authors: JOSHI SANTOSH , UPRETI DALIP K. , BAWINGAN PAULINA A. , HUR JAE-SEOUN
Published: March 2018

In the present paper three new species viz. Thalloloma nitidum, Thelotrema isidiosum and T. megasporum belonging to lichen family Graphidaceae are described from the Philippines and compared with the closely related taxa.
A new species of Lobocheilos (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo
Authors: CICCOTTO PATRICK J. , TAN HEOK HUI
Published: March 2018

Lobocheilos aurolineatus, new species, is described from the Mahakam River basin in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. It is distinguished from all other species of Lobocheilos except for L. ixocheilos and L. tenura in having one pair of barbels (maxillary) and by the presence of a broad, black midlateral stripe, approximately ¾ scale height in thickness, extending from the operculum to the caudal-peduncle base. Lobocheilos aurolineatus differs from both species in possessing a thin cream to yellow stripe on the anterior ⅔ of the flank, separating the black midlateral stripe from the brown dorso-lateral scales, and by a smaller mouth width (23.5–29.9% head length in L. aurolineatus vs. 32.1–45.0% and 34.4–46.4% head length in L. ixocheilos and L. tenura, respectively).
The first green lacewing (Insecta: Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) from the mid-Cretaceous amber of Myanmar
Authors: LU XIUMEI , WANG BO , OHL MICHAEL , LIU XINGYUE
Published: March 2018

The lacewing family Chrysopidae is here reported from the mid-Cretaceous amber of Myanmar for the first time. A new genus and species, Parabaisochrysa xingkei gen. et sp. nov., is described. The new genus belongs to the extinct subfamily Limaiinae and is characterized by the presence of three gradate series of crossveins in both fore- and hind wing, and by the MP1 coalescent with RP+MA in the hind wing.
Two new species of Nomuraius Hlaváč (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from southern China
Authors: HUANG MENG-CHI , YIN ZI-WEI
Published: March 2018

Two new Chinese species of the tyrine genus Nomuraius Hlaváč, N. excavatus Huang & Yin, sp. n. (Guangxi), and N. nanlingensis Huang & Yin, sp. n. (Guangdong), are described and illustrated. The identification key and distributional map of the genus are updated to include the new data.
Relationship between Aerosols, Hail Microphysics, and ZDR Columns
Authors: Ilotoviz E. , Khain A. , Ryzhkov Alexander V. , Snyder Jeffrey C.
Published: March 2018

Mechanisms of formation of differential reflectivity columns are investigated in simulations of a midlatitude summertime hailstorm with hailstones up to several centimeters in diameter. Simulations are performed using a new version of the Hebrew University Cloud Model (HUCM) with spectral bin microphysics. A polarimetric radar forward operator is used to calculate radar reflectivity and differential reflectivity ZDR. It is shown that ZDR columns are associated with raindrops and with hail particles growing in a wet growth regime within convective updrafts. The height and volume of ZDR columns increases with an increase in aerosol concentration. Small hail forming under clean conditions grows in updrafts largely in a dry growth regime corresponding to low ZDR. Characteristics of ZDR columns are highly correlated with vertical velocity, hail size, and aerosol concentration.
Scale-Dependent Background Error Covariance Localization: Evaluation in a Global Deterministic Weather Forecasting System
Authors: Caron Jean-François , Buehner Mark
Published: March 2018

Scale-dependent localization (SDL) consists of applying the appropriate (i.e., different) amount of localization to different ranges of background error covariance spatial scales while simultaneously assimilating all of the available observations. The SDL method proposed by Buehner and Shlyaeva for ensemble–variational (EnVar) data assimilation was tested in a 3D-EnVar version of the Canadian operational global data assimilation system. It is shown that a horizontal-scale-dependent horizontal localization leads to implicit vertical-level-dependent, variable-dependent, and location-dependent horizontal localization. The results from data assimilation cycles show that horizontal-scale-dependent horizontal covariance localization is able to improve the forecasts up to day 5 in the Northern Hemisphere extratropical summer period and up to day 7 in the Southern Hemisphere extratropical winter period. In the tropics, use of SDL results in improvements similar to what can be obtained by increasing the uniform amount of spatial localization. An investigation of the dynamical balance in the resulting analysis increments demonstrates that SDL does not further harm the balance between the mass and the rotational wind fields, as compared to the traditional localization approach. Potential future applications for the SDL method are also discussed.
Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) in Microbiology: Illumination and Enhancement of the Microbial World
Authors: Chisanga Malama , Muhamadali Howbeer , Ellis David I. , Goodacre Royston
Published: March 2018

The microbial world forms a huge family of organisms that exhibit the greatest phylogenetic diversity on Earth and thus colonize virtually our entire planet. Due to this diversity and subsequent complex interactions, the vast majority of microorganisms are involved in innumerable natural bioprocesses and contribute an absolutely vital role toward the maintenance of life on Earth, whilst a small minority cause various infectious diseases. The ever-increasing demand for environmental monitoring, sustainable ecosystems, food security, and improved healthcare systems drives the continuous search for inexpensive but reproducible, automated and portable techniques for detection of microbial isolates and understanding their interactions for clinical, environmental, and industrial applications and benefits. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is attracting significant attention for the accurate identification, discrimination and characterization and functional assessment of microbial cells at the single cell level. In this review, we briefly discuss the technological advances in Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) instrumentation and their application for the analysis of clinically and industrially relevant microorganisms, biofilms, and biological warfare agents. In addition, we summarize the current trends and future prospects of integrating Raman/SERS-isotopic labeling and cell sorting technologies in parallel, to link genotype-to-phenotype in order to define community function of unculturable microbial cells in mixed microbial communities which possess admirable traits such as detoxification of pollutants and recycling of essential metals.
Forensic Discrimination of Latent Fingerprints Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Chemometric Approaches
Authors: Yang Jun-Ho , Yoh Jack J
Published: March 2018

A novel technique is reported for separating overlapping latent fingerprints using chemometric approaches that combine laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and multivariate analysis. The LIBS technique provides the capability of real time analysis and high frequency scanning as well as the data regarding the chemical composition of overlapping latent fingerprints. These spectra offer valuable information for the classification and reconstruction of overlapping latent fingerprints by implementing appropriate statistical multivariate analysis. The current study employs principal component analysis and partial least square methods for the classification of latent fingerprints from the LIBS spectra. This technique was successfully demonstrated through a classification study of four distinct latent fingerprints using classification methods such as soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The novel method yielded an accuracy of more than 85% and was proven to be sufficiently robust. Furthermore, through laser scanning analysis at a spatial interval of 125 µm, the overlapping fingerprints were reconstructed as separate two-dimensional forms.
Documento Sud (1959–1961), rivista dell’avanguardia europea
Authors: D'Ambrosio Matteo
Published: March 2018

Preceduta dalla fondazione del Gruppo 58, che riprese e continuò l’esperienza del movimento nucleare, la rivista napoletana Documento Sud si collocò nel contesto dell’avanguardia artistica e letteraria europea del periodo, coltivando intensi rapporti con il movimento Phases e con la rete internazionale di riviste “sorelle”.
Reproductive Health Situation in South Africa: Emerging Policy Issue
Authors: Sathiya Susuman A
Published: March 2018

South Africa is still lagging behind with health outcomes, especially when it comes to accessing treatment, prevention and care for reproductive health issues despite the significant progress made with regard to certain aspects of the health system. This study explores the reproductive health situation in South Africa. The study explores some selected health outcomes and related policies from the nine provinces in South Africa. The results indicate that, despite the progress made in the fight against HIV/AIDs and other health-related problems, little has been done to improve maternal health care.
Interrogating Teacher Evaluation: Unveiling Whiteness as the Normative Center and Moving the Margins
Authors: Salazar Maria del Carmen
Published: March 2018

This article frames teacher evaluation from a critical race theory (CRT) perspective to unveil whiteness as the normative center of frameworks for teaching, and the marginalization of Communities of Color. The author places CRT on the ground by proposing a culturally responsive alternative, the Framework for Equitable and Excellent Teaching (FEET). The FEET is strategically designed to position the resources of historically marginalized Communities of Color at the center of teacher evaluation. This article describes the development of the FEET through three phases of mixed-methods research. The findings of the research were used to develop and improve the FEET to increase its measurement quality and potential in capturing culturally responsive practice. This article concludes by interrogating the role of teacher evaluation in disrupting or reproducing inequity, and proposing future research opportunities.
Malignant lymphoma with middle ear involvement in a Sprague-Dawley rat
Authors: Lafond Jean-Francois , Landry Annick
Published: March 2018

Sprague-Dawley rats are amongst the most widely used animals in biomedical research and malignant lymphoma has long been known to be a frequent neoplasm in these animals. A 9-month-old male control Sprague-Dawley rat from a toxicity study showed gelatinous material in the cranial cavity and dark, thickened cerebral meninges at necropsy. At microscopic evaluation of the temporal bone, neoplastic lymphocytes were seen invading several structures of the middle ear. The neoplastic cells appeared to extend from the marrow of the temporal bone, covered the dorsal part of the tympanic cavity wall, and surrounded and infiltrated the base of the tensor tympani muscle as well as the chorda tympani branch of the facial nerve. The lymphoma was generalized; neoplastic lymphocytes were also noted in numerous other tissues. Literature regarding neoplasms of the middle and inner ear in animals is scarce and, to our knowledge, this is the first report of a lymphoma involving the middle ear of a rat.
Maternal Grief: A Qualitative Investigation of Mothers’ Responses to the Death of a Child From Cancer
Authors: Gerrish Nick J. , Bailey Susan
Published: March 2018

This study explored bereaved mothers’ responses to the death of a child from cancer, with a focus on identifying adaptive and complicated grief reactions. To understand the unique meaning of their loss, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 mothers at two time points. Interpretative phenomenological analysis—guided by meaning-making theories of loss—revealed five master categories: the perceptions of the child’s life with cancer and death from the disease, changed self-identity, coping style, developing an ongoing relationship to the deceased child, and the postdeath social environment. Each of these master categories and associated subthemes provided insights into the characteristics of the bereaved mothers’ adaptive and complicated grief responses to their loss. Given all the mothers evidenced multiple forms or types of these responses over time, they could not be categorized as adaptive or complicated grievers. However, the varying proportions of each of these responses highlighted differences in overall bereavement adaptation.
Associations Between Comorbid Health Conditions and Quit Outcomes Among Smokers Enrolled in a State Quitline, Arizona, 2011-2016
Authors: Nair Uma S. , Bell Melanie L. , Yuan Nicole P. , Wertheim Betsy C. , Thomson Cynthia A.
Published: March 2018

Objective:

Smokers with comorbid health conditions have a disproportionate burden of tobacco-related death and disease. A better understanding of differences in quit rates among smokers with comorbid health conditions can guide tailoring of quitline services for subgroups. The objective of this study was to examine self-reported tobacco cessation rates among Arizona Smokers’ Helpline callers with chronic health conditions (CHCs) and/or a mental health condition (MHC).

Methods:

We analyzed data from quitline telephone callers (n = 39 779) who enrolled in and completed at least 1 behavioral counseling session (ie, coaching call). We categorized callers as CHC only (cardiovascular disease/respiratory-related/cancer; 32%), MHC only (eg, mood/anxiety/substance dependence; 13%), CHC + MHC (25%), or no comorbid condition (30%). We assessed 30-day abstinence at 7-month follow-up for 16 683 clients (41.9%). We used logistic regression analysis to test associations between comorbidity and quit outcomes after controlling for relevant variables (eg, nicotine dependence).

Results:

Overall quit rates were 45.4% for those with no comorbid condition, 43.3% for those with a CHC only, 37.0% for those with an MHC only, and 33.3% for those with CHC + MHC. Compared with other groups, the CHC + MHC group had the lowest odds of quitting (adjusted odds ratio = 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.52-0.69).

Conclusion:

Having a comorbid condition was associated with lower quit rates, and smokers with co-occurring CHCs and MHCs had the lowest quit rates. Quitlines should evaluate more intensive, evidence-driven, tailored services for smoking cessation among callers with comorbid conditions.
Anti-Abortion Clinic Activism, Civil Inattention and the Problem of Gendered Harassment
Authors: Lowe Pam , Hayes Graeme
Published: March 2018

In the UK, there is evidence of a recent increase in anti-abortion activism outside clinics. In response, abortion service providers have called for the introduction of ‘buffer’ zones to protect women from ‘harassment’ while accessing abortion services. Drawing on two datasets – extensive ethnographic fieldwork, and a content analysis of clinic client comment forms – we deploy Goffman’s concept of ‘civil inattention’ to further our understanding of the material practice of anti-abortion clinic activism. We find that although anti-abortion activists understand their own actions to be supportive, practices of religious observance outside clinics inescapably draw attention to the site and to the act of accessing healthcare, inherently challenging normative expectations of privacy and confidentiality. Our analysis suggests that anti-abortion activism outside clinics consequently violates social rules governing encounters with strangers in specific places and reinforces gendered hierarchies. As such, they are often experienced as acts of gendered harassment.
Organizational Health Literacy: Review of Theories, Frameworks, Guides, and Implementation Issues
Authors: Farmanova Elina , Bonneville Luc , Bouchard Louise
Published: March 2018

Organizational health literacy is described as an organization-wide effort to transform organization and delivery of care and services to make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health. Several health literacy guides have been developed to assist healthcare organizations with this effort, but their content has not been systematically reviewed to understand the scope and practical implications of this transformation. The objective of this study was to review (1) theories and frameworks that inform the concept of organizational health literacy, (2) the attributes of organizational health literacy as described in the guides, (3) the evidence for the effectiveness of the guides, and (4) the barriers and facilitators to implementing organizational health literacy. Drawing on a metanarrative review method, 48 publications were reviewed, of which 15 dealt with the theories and operational frameworks, 20 presented health literacy guides, and 13 addressed guided implementation of organizational health literacy. Seven theories and 9 operational frameworks have been identified. Six health literacy dimensions and 9 quality-improvement characteristics were reviewed for each health literacy guide. Evidence about the effectiveness of health literacy guides is limited at this time, but experiences with the guides were positive. Thirteen key barriers (conceived also as facilitators) were identified. Further development of organizational health literacy requires a strong and a clear connection between its vision and operationalization as an implementation strategy to patient-centered care. For many organizations, becoming health literate will require multiple, simultaneous, and radical changes. Organizational health literacy has to make sense from clinical and financial perspectives in order for organizations to embark on such transformative journey.
Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Communication with Identity in Argentina, 2009–2017
Authors: Doyle María Magdalena , Siares Emilse
Published: March 2018

Argentine Law 26.522 on Audiovisual Communication Services recognized, among other things, the right to communication for indigenous peoples. The cases of three indigenous radio stations in northern Argentina reveal the limits and possibilities of this normative transformation and the challenges to indigenous media posed by the changes in communications policy since the 2015 change of government.

La ley argentina 26.522 de Servicios de Comunicación Audiovisual reconoció, entre otras cuestiones, el derecho a la comunicación de los pueblos originarios. Los casos de tres emisoras de radio indígenas en el norte de Argentina revelan los límites y posibilidades de esta transformación normativa y los desafíos a los medios indígenas generados a partir de los cambios en política de comunicaciones desde el cambio de gobierno de 2015.
Evidence-Based Interventions for Cultural Competency Development Within Public Institutions
Authors: Getha-Taylor Heather , Holmes Maja Husar , Moen Justin R.
Published: March 2018

Cultural competency is critical to ensuring responsive public services. This article asks how we might develop individual cultural competency in a meaningful way, including which interventions are effective in enhancing cultural competence of experienced public employees. We examine the impact of targeted interventions on the development of individual public administrator cultural competence using a survey developed by Longoria and Rangarajan. The findings suggest the importance of understanding cultural competency as a developmental process that requires attention to the multidimensional aspects (knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors) of cultural competency and developing training that reflects these realities.
Gender Typicality, Felt Pressure for Gender Conformity, Racial Centrality, and Self-Esteem in African American Adolescents
Authors: Skinner Olivenne D. , Kurtz-Costes Beth , Wood Dana , Rowley Stephanie J.
Published: March 2018

Using a sample of 203 African American late adolescents aged 16 to 19 years (Mage = 17.77 years), we examined whether two aspects of gender identity—gender typicality and felt pressure for gender conformity—were related to self-esteem. Racial centrality (i.e., the importance of race to the individual’s self-concept) and gender were tested as moderators of these relations. Compared to girls, boys reported that they were more typical of their gender group (i.e., gender typicality) and that they experienced greater pressure to conform to traditional gender norms (i.e., felt pressure). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that gender typicality was positively related to self-esteem among girls and boys and that the relation was stronger for girls. Racial centrality moderated the relation between gender typicality and self-esteem, such that the relation was weaker for youth who reported higher levels of racial centrality. Felt pressure was negatively related to self-esteem for both boys and girls. These results underscore the importance of considering both gender and race as social identities as we seek to understand African American adolescents’ psychological adjustment.
The Partially Flipped Classroom
Authors: Burgoyne Stephanie , Eaton Judy
Published: March 2018

Flipped classrooms are gaining popularity, especially in psychology statistics courses. However, not all courses lend themselves to a fully flipped design, and some instructors might not want to commit to flipping every class. We tested the effectiveness of flipping just one component (a module on junk science) of a large methods course. We compared two sections, one in a traditional format ( n = 128) and the other in a flipped format ( n = 139), based on students’ academic performance and attitudes toward the class structure. Compared to students in the traditional lecture section, students in the flipped section performed significantly better on a quiz tied to the lecture content and rated their enjoyment of the exercise as higher. These findings demonstrate the utility of using partial flipped classroom techniques with large classes.
Repeating Something Familiar
Authors: Bemis Rhyannon H.
Published: March 2018

Segments are a structured presentation style that is commonly used on late-night talk and variety television shows. Research has shown that shows that contain segments with both entertaining and informative content (e.g., The Daily Show) have increased students’ political knowledge. This study investigated how the structure of segments could be adapted to present material in classroom lectures to promote recall of both learning events and course content. For the first two units in a three-unit child development course, students experienced segments along with traditional lecture activities. Although performance varied across measures, results indicated that segments are a useful teaching tool to promote retention of material and recall of learning events. The use of segments in other types of courses is discussed.
Teaching Students About Violent Media Effects
Authors: Bushman Brad J.
Published: March 2018

Although violent entertainment has existed for centuries, the media have made it more accessible than ever before. In modern societies, people are immersed in media, like fish in water. Using hand-held devices, people can consume media just about anywhere they want, anytime they want. Moreover, violence is a common theme in the media, and research has consistently shown that violent media can have harmful effects on consumers, such as making them more aggressive and more numb to the pain and suffering of others. Teaching students about the harmful effects of violent media is challenging because many students love to consume violent media, and believe they are somehow immune to any harmful effects. This article reviews the scientific evidence on violent media effects, discusses some reasons why people deny violent media effects, and offers suggestions for how to teach students about violent media effects.
Mineral compositional controls on the porosity of black shales from the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations (Southern Sichuan Basin and its surroundings) and insights into shale diagenesis
Authors: Han Mei , Han Chao , Han Zuozhen , Song Zhigang , Zhong Wenjian , Li Hao , Xu Wenlong
Published: March 2018

The effects of brittle minerals in shale diagenesis on shale pores remain controversial and it is difficult to quantify directly. However, the relationship between brittle minerals and shale pores could provide indirect guidance regarding diagenesis processes in post-mature marine shales. In this study, the pore size distribution was determined, and the relationship between pore volume and shale composition was examined in shale samples with different total organic carbon contents from the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations, with the objective of distinguishing pore size ranges in organic matter and inorganic minerals, respectively, and studying shale diagenesis. The samples of the Wufeng and Longmaxi shales are composed of clay minerals, calcite, dolomite, quartz, feldspar, and some minor components. The pore size distributions, which were determined using nitrogen adsorption isotherm analysis of shale and kerogen, show similar trends for pore sizes less than approx. 6.5 nm but different trends for larger pore sizes. Mercury injection saturation shows that macropores account for 14.4–22% of the total pore volume. Based on a series of crossplots describing the relationships between shale composition and pore volume or porosity associated with different pore sizes as well as on scanning electron microscopy observations, organic matter pores were found to comprise most of the micro-mesopores (pore diameters < 6.5 nm). Organic matter pores and intraparticle pores associated with carbonate constitute the majority of mesopores (pore diameters 6.5–50 nm). Finally, interparticle pores associated with quartz comprise the majority of the macropores. The mesopores associated with carbonate were formed by dissolution during diagenesis, whereas the macropores associated with quartz are the remainders of the original interparticle pores. Mesopore volumes increase with increasing carbonate content while macropore volumes decrease due to the ‘pore size controlled solubility’ effect, which causes dissolved calcium carbonate to precipitate in larger macropores.
Unpacking the Transparency-Secrecy Nexus: Frontstage and backstage behaviour in a political party
Authors: Ringel Leopold
Published: March 2018

While the majority of research promotes the idea of transparency and puts all efforts into refining existing concepts, critical studies emphasize the performativity of measures to increase visibility. The article theorizes the nexus of transparency and secrecy by drawing on Erving Goffman’s frontstage/backstage theory, according to which actors vie to maintain boundaries of visibility by alternating these two types of situations. Using this approach, the article interprets the emergence of new forms of secrecy in reaction to transparency measures as efforts to maintain or create boundaries of visibility between front- and backstage. This perspective is empirically applied to a study on parliamentarian representatives of the Pirate Party of Germany, a political party that tries to be as transparent as possible and vows to live up to this ambition when elected. The study demonstrates that an organization which deprives itself of boundaries of visibility between frontstage and backstage faces obstacles which lead it to eventually introduce such boundaries. This study, therefore, offers an in-depth examination of the limitations of transparency and its unintended consequences.
Bergson’s theory of war
Authors: Kelly Michael R. , Harding Brian T.
Published: March 2018

Bergson scholars such as Leonard Lawlor, Alexander Lefebvre, Philip Soulez, and Frederic Worms have recently argued that Bergson “places the phenomenon of war at the center of his analysis” in Two Sources of Morality and Religion (1932). We want to contribute to this line of interpretation. We claim that Bergson’s account of the causes of, and solution to, the problem of war can be effectively understood in light of a central tenet of classical political philosophy, namely, the City of God, both the concept and Augustine’s great text, de Civitate dei contra paganos. We highlight the shared view of the root of war in Augustine and Bergson, namely the lust for domination, libido dominandi. Our contribution provides a useful heuristic for understanding Bergson’s account of war, not a claim of Augustine’s influence on Bergson.
Narratives on the Autism Journey: “Doing Family” and Redefining the Caregiver Self
Authors: Chiaraluce Cara A.
Published: March 2018

Drawing on 50 in-depth semistructured interviews with primary caregivers of at least one child diagnosed with autism, this study demonstrates how the current social experience of caring for a child with an ambiguous and invisible disorder upsets the identities of primary caregivers and challenges their ability to perform the traditional Standard North American Family ideal and normative ways of “doing family.” Accordingly, I employ a narrative framework to (a) understand deeply how everyday autism care work affects family life, caregivers’ identities, and feelings of family marginalization and (b) investigate how symbolic resources, like support groups, can provide a space to reorient and transform ideas and practices of family and caregiver identity. Through their intensified care work and psychosocial experiences on the autism journey, caregivers demonstrate how they understand, negotiate, and redefine identities and dominant ideas of family in complex and fluid ways.
Are you coming on to me? Bias and accuracy in couples’ perceptions of sexual advances
Authors: Dobson Kiersten , Campbell Lorne , Stanton Sarah C. E.
Published: March 2018

How accurately do romantic partners perceive each other’s sexual advances? Two preregistered studies investigated whether perceivers over- or underestimate the specific behaviors their partner uses to indicate sexual interest (directional bias), as well as correctly detect the particular pattern of those behaviors (tracking accuracy). We also tested if biased and accurate perceptions were moderated by gender and explored how bias and accuracy predicted relational outcomes. Results revealed strong evidence for tracking accuracy in judgments of sexual advances overall, and mixed results for directional bias. Gender moderated only directional bias, such that women consistently overestimated their partner’s sexual advances, whereas men underestimated or showed no bias. Finally, biased sexual advance perceptions were associated with sexual satisfaction and love for both perceivers and partners. Implications for relationship functioning are discussed.
You haven’t been on my mind lately
Authors: Mizrahi Moran , Kanat-Maymon Yaniv , Birnbaum Gurit E.
Published: March 2018

Sexual desire between romantic partners tends to decrease over time. A decrease in frequency of dyadic fantasies and an increase in frequency of extradyadic fantasies are typical manifestations of this process. The present diary study adopted an attachment-theoretical perspective to better understand why some people are less likely to fantasize about their partners. Both members of 100 romantic couples completed measures of relationship-specific insecurities, partner responsiveness, and frequency of sexual fantasies every evening for 42 days. Results showed that attachment insecurities were associated with lower frequency of dyadic fantasies. Partner responsiveness mediated these associations, such that attachment insecurities were associated with perceiving partners as less responsive, which, in turn, predicted lower frequency of dyadic fantasies. Men’s avoidance predicted higher frequency of extradyadic fantasies. These findings demonstrated the role of responsiveness in sustaining desire, suggesting that attachment insecurities bias people to perceive their partner as less responsive, thereby hampering sexual desire.
A trial based economic evaluation of occupational therapy discharge planning for older adults: the HOME randomized trial
Authors: Wales Kylie , Salkeld Glenn , Clemson Lindy , Lannin Natasha A , Gitlin Laura , Rubenstein Laurence , Howard Kirsten , Howell Martin , Cameron Ian D
Published: March 2018

Objective:

To compare the cost effectiveness of two occupational therapy–led discharge planning interventions from the HOME trial.

Design:

An economic evaluation was conducted within the superiority randomized HOME trial to assess the difference in costs and health-related outcomes associated with the enhanced program and the in-hospital consultation. Total costs of health and community service utilization were used to calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, activities of daily living and quality-adjusted life years.

Setting:

Medical and acute care wards of Australian hospitals ( n=5).

Subjects:

A total of 400 people ≥ 70 years of age.

Interventions:

Participants were randomized to either (1) an enhanced program (HOME), involving pre/post discharge visits and two follow-up phone calls, or (2) an in-hospital consultation using the home and community environment assessment and the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living assessment.

Main measures:

Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living (global measure of activities of daily living) and SF-12V2, transformed into SF-6D (quality-adjusted life year) measured at baseline and three months post discharge.

Results:

The cost of the enhanced program was higher than that of the in-hospital consultation. However, a higher proportion of patients showed improvement in activities of daily living in the enhanced program with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $61,906.00 per person with clinically meaningful improvement.

Conclusion:

Health services would not save money by implementing the enhanced program as a routine intervention in medical and acute care wards. Future research should incorporate longer time horizons and consider which patient groups would benefit from home visits.