bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Judaism’s other geographies: Franz Rosenzweig and the state of exile
Authors: Dubow Jessica
Published: December 2015

Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929), the German-Jewish theologian and philosopher, presents us with what can be called a ‘politics of Judaic theology’. Focussing on the particularities of Judaic time and space in his major work, The Star of Redemption (1921), this article argues for the importance of revisiting Rosenzweig to recuperate a history of thought opposed to the entailments of secular time with sovereign territory. Essaying between Rosenzweig’s early 20th-century theology and the political present, I then bring him into dialogue with the voices of Judith Butler and Jaqueline Rose who, from the varying perspectives of ethics and psychoanalysis, insist on an originary displacement at the heart of Jewish identity and, with this, the impossibility of any project of national affirmation. Indeed, when read together with contemporary challenges to political Zionism, I suggest that Rosenzweig’s theological understandings of space and time offer an alternative – and anterior – perspective from which to critique the ambitions of the Jewish nation-state.
Lexical difficulty – using elicited imitation to study child L2
Authors: Campfield Dorota E.
Published: December 2015

This paper reports a post-hoc analysis of the influence of lexical difficulty of cue sentences on performance in an elicited imitation (EI) task to assess oral production skills for 645 child L2 English learners in instructional settings. This formed part of a large-scale investigation into effectiveness of foreign language teaching in Polish primary schools. EI item design and scoring, IRT and post-hoc lexical analysis of items is described in detail. The research aim was to resolve how much the lexical complexity of items (lexical density, morphological complexity, function word density, and sentence length) contributed to item difficulty and scores. Sentence length, as number of words, predicted better than number of syllables. Function words also contributed, and their importance to EI item construction is discussed. It is suggested that future research should examine phonological aspects of cue sentences to explain potential sources for variability. EI is shown to be a reliable and robust method for young L2 learners with potential for classroom assessment by teachers for emergent oral production skills.
Determining cloze item difficulty from item and passage characteristics across different learner backgrounds
Authors: Trace Jonathan , Brown James Dean , Janssen Gerriet , Kozhevnikova Liudmila
Published: December 2015

Cloze tests have been the subject of numerous studies regarding their function and use in both first language and second language contexts (e.g., Jonz & Oller, 1994; Watanabe & Koyama, 2008). From a validity standpoint, one area of investigation has been the extent to which cloze tests measure reading ability beyond the sentence level. Using test data from 50 30-item cloze passages administered to 2,298 Japanese and 5,170 Russian EFL students, this study examined the degree to which linguistic features for cloze passages and items influenced item difficulty. Using a common set of 10 anchor items, all 50 tests were modeled in terms of person ability and item difficulty onto a single scale using many-faceted Rasch measurement ( k = 1314). Principle components analysis was then used to categorize 25 linguistic item- and passage-level variables for the 50 cloze tests and their respective items, from which three components for each passage- and item-level variables were identified. These six factors along with item difficulty were then entered into both a hierarchical structural equation model and a linear multiple regression to determine the degree to which difficulty in cloze tests could be explained separately by passage and item features. Comparisons were further made by looking at differences in models by nationality and by proficiency level (e.g., high and low). The analyses revealed noteworthy differences in mean item difficulties and in the variance structures between passage- and item-level features, as well as between different examinee proficiency groups.
Arguing That Black Is White: Racial Categorization of Mixed-Race Faces
Authors: Lewis Michael B.
Published: December 2015

Previous research has demonstrated that racially ambiguous faces (blended from Black and White parent faces) are categorized as being Black more often than White. This has been taken as support for social concept of hypodescent: mixed-race people are categorized with the same race as the socially subordinate parent. The current research explores racial categorization further by using two sets of participants: those with greater experience of White faces and those with greater experience of Black faces. It was found that mixed-race faces were categorized as being Black more often than White by the former but White more often than Black by the latter group. Racial categorization of a mixed-race face, therefore, depends upon who is doing the categorizing. A face that may be argued as appearing racially Black to one person would be argued as appearing racially White to another depending on their experience.
Adult Education Faculty and Programs in North America
Authors: Tisdell Elizabeth J. , Wright Robin Redmon , Taylor Edward W.
Published: December 2015

This article reports on the findings of a quantitative survey of North American adult education faculty and a textual analysis of websites of adult education graduate programs in North America conducted in the fall of 2013. This study examined background information about adult education faculty and programs; the nature of faculty work interests, motivations, and satisfaction; and involvement with the Commission of Professors of Adult Education. It is informed by prior studies in the field, the role of professional organizations literature as related to social capital, and the faculty satisfaction literature.
Neurological Complications of Pediatric Cancer
Authors: Neil Elizabeth C. , Hanmantgad Sharyu , Khakoo Yasmin
Published: December 2015

Neurologists are often consulted for diagnosis and management of neurologic complications in patients undergoing therapy for cancer. Pediatric patients with cancer, often undergoing the same types of therapy as adults with cancer, may experience different adverse events. The set of neurologic complications in children differs from that in adults and the neurologist must take into account the continuing growth and development of the patient as well as significant differences in primary diagnosis across the population. Correctly recognizing complications and initiating prompt treatment may reduce pain and prevent further progression and permanent deficits. Herein, we review the most recent literature on the neurological complications of cancer therapy organized by frequency in the pediatric population.
Estimating Epilepsy Incidence and Prevalence in the US Pediatric Population Using Nationwide Health Insurance Claims Data
Authors: Kim Hyunmi , Thurman David J. , Durgin Tracy , Faught Edward , Helmers Sandra
Published: December 2015

This study aims to determine prevalence and incidence of epilepsy in the US pediatric population. We analyzed commercial claims and Medicaid insurance claims data between 2008 and 2012. Over 8 million continuously enrolled lives aged 0 to 19 years were included. Our definition of a prevalent case of epilepsy was based on I nternational Classification of Diseases–coded diagnoses of epilepsy or seizures and evidence of prescribed antiepileptic drugs. Incident cases were identified in subjects continuously enrolled for ≥2 years of which the first 2 years had no indication of epilepsy or seizures. The overall prevalence estimate for 2012 was 6.8 per 1,000 children. The overall incidence estimate for 2012 was 104 per 100,000 pediatric population. This study provides estimates of the prevalence and incidence of epilepsy in the US pediatric population, using large claims datasets from multiple US population sectors. The findings appear reasonably representative of the US-insured pediatric population.
Friction in modern total hip arthroplasty bearings: Effect of material, design, and test methodology
Authors: Scholl Laura , Longaray Jason , Raja Lokesh , Lee Reginald , Faizan Ahmad , Herrera Lizeth , Thakore Mayur , Nevelos Jim
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this study was to characterize the effect of a group of variables on frictional torque generated by acetabular components as well as to understand the influence of test model. Three separate test models, which had been previously used in the literature, were used to understand the effect of polyethylene material, bearing design, head size, and material combinations. Each test model differed by the way it simulated rotation of the head, the type of frictional torque value it reported (static vs. dynamic), and the type of motion simulated (oscillating motion vs. continuous motion). It was determined that not only test model may impact product ranking of fictional torque generated but also static frictional torque may be significantly larger than a dynamic frictional torque. In addition to test model differences, it was discovered that the frictional torque values for conventional and highly cross-linked polyethylenes were not statistically significantly different in the more physiologically relevant test models. With respect to bearing design, the frictional torque values for mobile bearing designs were similar to the 28-mm diameter inner bearing rather than the large diameter outer liner. Testing with a more physiologically relevant rotation showed that frictional torque increased with bearing diameter for the metal on polyethylene and ceramic on polyethylene bearings but remained constant for ceramic on ceramic bearings. Finally, ceramic on ceramic bearings produced smaller frictional torque values when compared to metal on polyethylene and ceramic on polyethylene groups.
Three-dimensional lung nodule segmentation and shape variance analysis to detect lung cancer with reduced false positives
Authors: Krishnamurthy Senthilkumar , Narasimhan Ganesh , Rengasamy Umamaheswari
Published: December 2015

The three-dimensional analysis on lung computed tomography scan was carried out in this study to detect the malignant lung nodules. An automatic three-dimensional segmentation algorithm proposed here efficiently segmented the tissue clusters (nodules) inside the lung. However, an automatic morphological region-grow segmentation algorithm that was implemented to segment the well-circumscribed nodules present inside the lung did not segment the juxta-pleural nodule present on the inner surface of wall of the lung. A novel edge bridge and fill technique is proposed in this article to segment the juxta-pleural and pleural-tail nodules accurately. The centroid shift of each candidate nodule was computed. The nodules with more centroid shift in the consecutive slices were eliminated since malignant nodule’s resultant position did not usually deviate. The three-dimensional shape variation and edge sharp analyses were performed to reduce the false positives and to classify the malignant nodules. The change in area and equivalent diameter was more for malignant nodules in the consecutive slices and the malignant nodules showed a sharp edge. Segmentation was followed by three-dimensional centroid, shape and edge analysis which was carried out on a lung computed tomography database of 20 patient with 25 malignant nodules. The algorithms proposed in this article precisely detected 22 malignant nodules and failed to detect 3 with a sensitivity of 88%. Furthermore, this algorithm correctly eliminated 216 tissue clusters that were initially segmented as nodules; however, 41 non-malignant tissue clusters were detected as malignant nodules. Therefore, the false positive of this algorithm was 2.05 per patient.
Design of volute shape of centrifugal fans
Authors: Lv Yukun , Lv Zheng-Wei , Li Hong-Yang , Song Bao-Jun , Cheng Bo , Zhang Bo
Published: December 2015

This work addresses the issues of decreased efficiency and static pressures of a centrifugal fan under variable working conditions (VWCs). A design method for the volute radius with flow-correcting coefficients and an area factor was proposed. The model of the design method was solved using genetic algorithms in MATLAB. The volute was designed for two cases: with area constraints and without area constraints. Computational fluid dynamics was used in the numerical simulations of the original fan and the two others with modified volute under VWCs, and corresponding performance curves were obtained. The internal flow fields of the three types of fan volutes were analysed for the cases under 40%, 100%, and 130% loads. The results indicate that the efficiency and static pressure of the two designed fans were improved under VWCs. The backwash at the outlet tongue, volute outlet static pressure fluctuation, and the swirl effects inside the volute were all reduced. The volute fan with area constraints exhibited the best performance under VWCs.
Involuntary non-standard employment in Europe
Authors: Green Anne , Livanos Ilias
Published: December 2015

In some countries in Europe the economic crisis starting in 2008 was marked not only by a rise in unemployment, but also by increases in individuals in part-time and temporary working, so emphasising the need to examine employment composition as well as non-employment. The promotion of non-standard forms of employment – such as part-time and temporary working – has been part of Europe’s employment agenda, but directives have also focused on raising the quality of such work. Using European Union Labour Force Survey data, an indicator of involuntary non-standard (part-time and temporary) employment (INE) is constructed, depicting a negative working condition. Descriptive analyses show important differences between countries in the incidence of INE, which is highest in Spain, Portugal and Poland, and also in the composition of INE. By contrast, INE tends to be lower in countries with Anglo-Saxon and Nordic welfare state models. Econometric analyses reveal that young workers, older workers, women, non-nationals, those with low education and those who were unemployed a year ago are at greatest risk of INE.
Evaluating the Hedging Performance of Oil and Oilseeds Futures in India
Authors: Malhotra Meenakshi
Published: December 2015

The risk of commodity price volatility impacts almost everyone from individuals to companies and the economy as a whole. Hedging with derivative instruments is a way to insure against such risks. In the present study, the risk reduction function of commodity futures has been evaluated for commodities in the oil and oilseeds segment, namely, refined soya oil, mustard seed, mentha oil and crude palm oil (CPO). The choice of these commodities is made because in India, oilseeds’ trading has grown phenomenally due to massive increase in its domestic consumption which is being met by imports. To attain self-sufficiency and to enhance domestic production, besides other measures, commodity futures help to improve price realization and thereby encourage farmers to increase the area under cultivation. The minimum variance hedge ratio (MVHR) is calculated using the ordinary least square (OLS) method, OLS with additional variables and error correction model (ECM). Hedging effectiveness is quantified using MVHR. The estimates of hedging effectiveness are satisfactory for more liquid futures contracts of refined soya oil and CPO which gave variance reduction to the extent of 55 and 71 per cent, respectively. On the other hand, risk reduction with mustard seed and refined mentha oil futures is only around 28 per cent. According to market reports, the latter are narrow commodities with a small market size and greater susceptibility to price manipulation and cartelization. Measures, such as, better regulatory framework, wider participation of actual users in the commodity value chain and suitable contract specifications, are most essential for lucrative commodity markets.
Toward the Adaptation of Routine Activity and Lifestyle Exposure Theories to Account for Cyber Abuse Victimization
Authors: Vakhitova Zarina I. , Reynald Danielle M. , Townsley Michael
Published: December 2015

With the advent of the Internet and the emergence of cybercrimes (e.g., cyber stalking, cyber harassment), criminologists have begun to explore the empirical utility of lifestyle exposure and routine activity theories (RATs) to account for personal victimization as a consequence of cyber abuse. Available cyber abuse studies have produced inconsistent empirical support for both models, which has reignited the debate about whether terrestrial theories, such as RAT, will ever be able to adequately explain cybercrimes due to the spatial and temporal disconnect between the theories and the cyber environment. This article reviews existing cyber abuse scholarship, explores potential reasons for the weak empirical support for routine activity and lifestyle exposure theories in cyberspace, and proposes several directions for future research. We suggest that to further our understanding of cyber abuse processes, scholars need to carefully define and operationalize the key theoretical concepts in the light of latest developments in RAT (i.e., addition of new controllers—handlers and place managers, and super controllers), and conduct in-depth qualitative studies, as well as quantitative studies, that employ robust methodological designs and multi-level statistical analyses.
Humor as a Communication Strategy in Provider–Patient Communication in a Chronic Care Setting
Authors: Schöpf Andrea C. , Martin Gillian S. , Keating Mary A.
Published: December 2015

Humor is a potential communication strategy to accomplish various and potentially conflicting consultation goals. We investigated humor use and its reception in diabetes consultations by analyzing how and why humor emerges and its impact on the interaction. We did this by using an interactional sociolinguistics approach. We recorded 50 consultations in an Irish diabetes setting. Analysis of the humor events drew on framework analysis and on concepts from Conversation Analysis and pragmatics. The study also comprised interviews using tape-assisted recall. We identified 10 humor functions and two umbrella functions. A key finding is that most humor is relationship-protecting humor initiated by patients, that is, they voice serious messages and deal with emotional issues through humor. Our findings imply that patients’ and providers’ awareness of indirect communication strategies needs to be increased. We also recommend that researchers employ varied methods to adequately capture the interactive nature of humor.
Team Incivility Climate Scale: Development and Validation of the Team-Level Incivility Climate Construct
Authors: Paulin Deanna , Griffin Barbara
Published: December 2015

Guided by a framework for multilevel construct validation, this study identified incivility climate as a new facet-specific climate construct. Referring to shared perceptions about the uncivil behaviors, practices, and norms that exist within a team, the construct of incivility climate is fundamental for future research investigating and estimating the effect of workplace incivility at the team level. Data from three separate samples totaling 1,110 employees and 50 work teams were used to test the internal consistency, confirm factor structure, and assess convergent and incremental validity of a new measure at both the individual and team level. The results support the construct validity of incivility climate along with the utility of the Team Incivility Climate Scale. Theoretical implications and practical applications of the construct and measure are described.
Relationship Context Matters
Authors: Coşkan Canan , Phalet Karen , Güngör Derya , Mesquita Batja
Published: December 2015

This study compares self-construals in Belgium and Turkey in two different relationship contexts: mother and teacher. Following Kağıtçıbaşı’s model, we measured self-construal along the dimensions of autonomy and relatedness. Belgian ( n = 276) and Turkish ( n = 153) students completed Self Scales for either the mother or the teacher context. Consistent with previous cross-cultural research, Belgian students were more autonomous and less related than Turkish students, when aggregating across relationship contexts. However, in each culture, reported self-construals differed by relationship context. Moreover, the differences were entirely driven by the teacher context; no cultural differences were found with regard to self-construals in the mother context. One implication is that cultural self-construals are better seen as combined instances of socially situated selves than as stable traits.
Sardinia radio telescope finite element model updating by means of photogrammetric measurements
Authors: Stochino Flavio , Cazzani Antonio , Poppi Sergio , Turco Emilio
Published: December 2015

The 64 m diameter Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT), located near Cagliari (Italy), is the world’s second largest fully steerable radio telescope with an active surface. Among its peculiarities is the capability of modifying the configuration of the primary mirror surface by means of electromechanical actuators. This capability enables, within a fixed range, balancing of the deformation caused by external loads. In this way, the difference between the ideal shape of the mirror (which maximizes its performance) and the actual surface can be reduced. The control loop of the radio telescope needs a procedure that is able to predict SRT deformation, with the required accuracy, in order to reduce deviation from the ideal shape. To achieve this aim, a finite element model that can accurately predict the displacements of the structure is required. Unfortunately, the finite element model of the SRT, although very refined, does not give completely satisfactory results, since it does not take into account essential pieces of information, for instance, thermal strains and assembly defects. This paper explores a possible update of the finite element model using only the benchmark data available, i.e. the photogrammetric survey developed during the setup of the reflecting surface. This updating leads to a significant reduction in the differences between photogrammetric data and results of the numerical model. The effectiveness of this tuning procedure is then assessed.
Dynamics of Environmental and Financial Performance
Authors: Delmas Magali A. , Nairn-Birch Nicholas , Lim Jinghui
Published: December 2015

While corporate sustainability has been defined as an approach that creates long-term value with minimum environmental damage, there is still little understanding of the time horizon over which improved environmental performance leads to improved financial performance. We investigate the relationship between environmental and financial performance under increasing likelihood of environmental regulation. We leverage longitudinal data for 1,095 U.S. corporations from 2004 to 2008, a period of increasing activity for climate change legislation, in order to estimate the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on short- and long-term measures of financial performance. We find that during this period, improving corporate environmental performance causes a decline in an indicator of short-term financial performance, return on assets. Nonetheless, investors see the potential long-term value of improved environmental performance, manifested by an increase in Tobin’s q. These results suggest that limited uptake of proactive strategies may in part be attributable to short-term financial performance targets that guide managerial decision making.
A novel approach to train random forests on GPU for computer vision applications using local features
Authors: Pianu Daniele , Nerino Roberto , Ferraris Claudia , Chimienti Antonio
Published: December 2015

The random forests (RF) classifier has recently gained momentum in the computer vision field, thanks to its successful application in human body tracking, hand pose estimation and object detection. In this article, we present a novel approach to train RF on a graphics processing unit (GPU) for computer vision applications where simple per-pixel features are computed. Besides leveraging the processing power of the GPU to accelerate the training, we reformulate the training problem to limit costly image transfers when it is not possible to store the entire data set in GPU memory. Furthermore, our implementation supports arbitrary image types and allows the user to specify custom features. We extensively compare our approach with the state of the art on publicly available data sets, and we obtain a reduction in training time of up to 18 times. Finally, we train our implementation on a large data set (around 100 K images), demonstrating that our approach is suitable for training RF on the vast data sets typically used in computer vision.
Ecological correlates of Spanish adolescents’ physical activity during physical education classes
Authors: Molina-García Javier , Queralt Ana , Estevan Isaac , Sallis James F
Published: December 2015

The public health benefit of school physical education (PE) depends in large part on physical activity (PA) provided during class. According to the literature, PE has a valuable role in public health, and PA levels during PE classes depend on a wide range of factors. The main objective of this study, based on ecological models of behaviour, was to analyse what personal, psychosocial and environmental factors were associated with moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) during PE lessons. The sample consisted of 189 adolescents (60.8% girls; M = 16.3 years, SD = 0.7) from nine high schools. PA was assessed by accelerometer. Differences in PA behaviour between the study groups were evaluated using the analysis of variance. Mixed-model regression analysis, adjusted for clustering within schools, evaluated the relation of each independent variable with MVPA. Results indicated that MVPA represented 21.5% of the total time of the session (11.8 minutes, SD = 5.3). Boys performed more MVPA than girls (13.6 versus 10.7 minutes), specifically during sessions in which fitness activities (cardiorespiratory endurance and strength), net games and sports were performed. The highest levels of MVPA occurred among students with high physical self-efficacy perception, when lessons were held outdoors, in schools with high socio-economic status, and during lessons with cardiorespiratory fitness activities and invasion games and sports. Gender, number of students per session and PE content were significantly related to MVPA according to regression analysis. Present findings show that PA levels during the PE sessions depend on several personal, psychosocial and environmental factors.
Children’s experiences of domestic violence and abuse: Siblings’ accounts of relational coping
Authors: Callaghan Jane E M , Alexander Joanne H , Sixsmith Judith , Fellin Lisa C
Published: December 2015

This article explores how children see their relationships, particularly their sibling relationships, in families affected by domestic violence (DV) and how relationality emerges in their accounts as a resource to build an agentic sense of self. The ‘voice’ of children is largely absent from the DV literature, which typically portrays them as passive, damaged and relationally incompetent. Children’s own understandings of their relational worlds are often overlooked, and consequently, existing models of children’s social interactions give inadequate accounts of their meaning-making-in-context. Drawn from a larger study of children’s experiences of DV and abuse, this article uses two case studies of sibling relationships to explore young people’s use of relational resources, for coping with violence in the home. The article explores how relationality and coping intertwine in young people’s accounts and disrupts the taken-for-granted assumption that children’s ‘premature caring’ or ‘parentification’ is (only) pathological in children’s responses to DV. This has implications for understanding young people’s experiences in the present and supporting their capacity for relationship building in the future.
Confessions to Mr Big
Authors: Murphy Brendon , Anderson John
Published: December 2015

In Queen v Hart, the Supreme Court of Canada recognised what was described as a ‘new rule of evidence’ concerning confessions obtained during ‘Mr Big’ operations. This undercover policing technique is known to be a time-intensive but effective strategy in the investigation of cases in which suspects are highly secretive. In Hart, the Canadian Supreme Court recognised the value of this form of investigation, but emphasised that such strategies require careful scrutiny by the judiciary because of the potential for unethical policing and the unreliability of confessions in cases where this evidence is obtained in association with ‘entrapment’ strategies. This article examines the ‘novel’ jurisprudence in Hart, and considers its utility in the context of other common law countries, particularly Australia where uniform evidence legislation applies in the majority of jurisdictions. Ultimately it is contended that the ‘new rule of evidence’ in Hart is effectively a specific adaptation of well-known rules of evidence in the extant common law and legislation of Australia, England and New Zealand and, therefore, of limited utility outside Canada.
Attributional complexity and leadership
Authors: Lakshman C , Estay Christophe
Published: December 2015

Despite the importance of attributional complexity (AC) of managers in cross-cultural contexts, empirical tests of the relationship between AC and the degree to which managers make isomorphic (accurate) attributions are absent. This study provides a crucial contribution to the literature by focusing on the hitherto unexamined empirical link between AC and accurate attributions. This study also contributes to the literature by drawing on the psychological and leader attribution literature to delineate the processes resulting from the information processing of attributionally complex individuals who use complex schemata and then linking these processes to leadership in cross-national contexts. This article tests the theoretical propositions of the model focusing on the process through which AC of managers affects the accuracy of their attributions, subsequently leading to their behaviors that create the climate for leader effectiveness. We provide an empirical test with data from manager–subordinate dyads in France and India. The following hypotheses are supported: AC of managers is linked to accuracy of attributions, as perceived by subordinates and performance enhancement strategies of managers are linked to isomorphic attributions and to key outcome variables (subordinate satisfaction and leadership perceptions), with power distance being a critical moderator. By examining and showing evidence for the moderating impact of power distance, we also contribute to the cross-cultural management literature on leadership. Results are discussed, along with limitations/directions for future research.
Through their lens: Case managers’ experiences of the child welfare system
Authors: Thompson Heather M , Wojciak Armeda Stevenson , Cooley Morgan E
Published: December 2015

Case managers play a significant role in the child welfare system. Although previous studies have highlighted the multiple demands and requirements for case managers, few studies have utilized the perspective of case managers to highlight practices and areas of need within the child welfare system. The purpose of this qualitative study was to expand the understanding of issues related to child welfare by exploring the perspectives of current and former child welfare case managers. Thirty-one case managers provided their perspectives on their experiences within the child welfare system, perspectives and views of the system, relationships with other parts and persons within the system, and how they developed their knowledge of the intricate child welfare system. Themes related to the roles and responsibilities of case managers, support and collaboration, and learning and growing within the system emerged. Practice, research, and policy implications are discussed.
Pursuit
Authors: Wood Brian M. , Jones James Holland
Published: December 2015

This article describes a software tool called “Pursuit” that is intended to be used for both research and teaching on the topic of optimal foraging theory. The tool provides a dynamic graphical and auditory interface in which users encounter different prey animals and then must decide whether to pursue or ignore the encountered prey. Based on the characteristics of the prey in the foraging environment and the decisions of the player, each user harvests a set of prey per round and achieves a corresponding foraging return rate. Administrators of Pursuit specify the environmental parameters that determine what prey users will encounter. All environmental parameters and user decisions are tracked and logged for analysis. We created this tool for laboratory experiments, but we believe Pursuit could also be an engaging and effective teaching tool, whereby students adopt the role of forager, and through such play, experience a simulated foraging context and learn about foraging theory. Pursuit is freely available and can run on any platform that supports Java, including Mac OS, Windows, and Linux.
Needs assessment for providing clinical ethics consultation services in Tehran
Authors: Asghari Fariba , Parsapoor Alireza , Vaskooi Khorshid , Saeedi Tehrani Saeedeh
Published: December 2015

Introduction

One of the most important duties of hospital ethics committees is to provide medical ethics consultation to the staff and patients. This study was conducted with the aim of the needs assessment of the staff for optimal provision of medical ethics consultation services.

Materials and methods

The data collection tool was a self-administered questionnaire. Hospital managers, chief nursing officers, ward managers, and head nurses of all hospitals affiliated with Tehran and Iran University of Medical Sciences entered the study. The questionnaire together with an invitation letter was sent to the samples. In the next stage, telephone follow-up of the incomplete forms was performed by the research team.

Results

A total of 448 persons participated in this study (response rate: 54.2%). The mean frequency of the need for ethics consultation in each ward was 5.2 times in the last 3 months with a median of 3. The highest needs for consultation, which were common in all wards, were observed in treatment rejection by the patient, providing necessary information to obtain informed consent and obtaining consent to high risk procedures, conflict between the decisions made by the patient and the family members, decision making for the high risk patient, request for futile or inappropriate treatments, giving bad news, and decision making for the incompetent patient.

Conclusion

The prevalence of ethical issues in clinical wards is variably high. The ethical issues in the clinical setting are mainly related to respect for the patient’s autonomy and competency for decision making.
Shared Faculty–Student Lifestyle Habits and Their Implications for College Student Retention
Authors: Boateng Kwasi , Plopper Bruce L. , Keith David M.
Published: December 2015

Previous research confirms that first-semester grade-point average (GPA) is related to college student persistence, retention, and graduation. Thus, it is important to identify factors related to enhancing first-semester GPA. In this study, researchers asked faculty and students in the disciplines of journalism, strategic communication or public relations, mass media production and design, motion picture or film, and mass media in general, to rate themselves on success-related lifestyle habits. Students were grouped according to five GPA categories, and each GPA group's survey responses were compared with faculty survey responses and with every other GPA group's responses. Statistical analyses identified five highly differentiating lifestyle habits that separated both faculty and the highest GPA group from all other GPA groups. Because these five habits related so closely to higher-level GPAs, one major implication of the findings is that institutions could improve retention by encouraging freshmen to develop these five critical lifestyle habits.
Enhanced Motor Recovery After Stroke With Combined Cortical Stimulation and Rehabilitative Training Is Dependent on Infarct Location
Authors: Boychuk Jeffery A. , Schwerin Susan C. , Thomas Nagheme , Roger Alexandra , Silvera Geoffrey , Liverpool Misha , Adkins DeAnna L. , Kleim Jeffrey A.
Published: December 2015

Background. Cortical electrical stimulation of the motor cortex in combination with rehabilitative training (CS/RT) has been shown to enhance motor recovery in animal models of focal cortical stroke, yet in clinical trials, the effects are much less robust. The variability of stroke location in human patient populations that include both cortical and subcortical brain regions may contribute to the failure to find consistent effects clinically. Objective. This study sought to determine whether infarct location influences the enhanced motor recovery previously observed in response to CS/RT. The efficacy of CS/RT to promote improvements in motor function was examined in 2 different rat models of stroke that varied the amount and location of cortical and subcortical damage. Methods. Ischemic infarctions were induced by injecting the vasoconstricting peptide endothelin-1 either (1) onto the middle cerebral artery (MCA) producing damage to the frontal cortex and lateral striatum or (2) into a subcortical region producing damage to the posterior thalamus and internal capsule (subcortical capsular ischemic injury [SCII]). Daily CS/RT or RT alone was then given for 20 days, during which time performance on a skilled reaching task was assessed. Results. Animals with MCA occlusion infarctions exhibited enhanced improvements on a skilled reaching task in response to CS/RT relative to RT alone. No such enhancement was observed in animals with SCII infarctions across the 20 days of treatment. Conclusions. The efficacy of CS for enhancing motor recovery after stroke may depend in part on the extent and location of the ischemic infarct.
The Association Between Masculinity and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury
Authors: Green Jonathan D. , Kearns Jaclyn C. , Ledoux Annie M. , Addis Michael E. , Marx Brian P.
Published: December 2015

Several known risk factors for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), such as negative emotionality and deficits in emotion skills, are also associated with masculinity. Researchers and clinicians suggest that masculine norms around emotional control and self-reliance may make men more likely to engage in self-harm. Masculinity has also been implicated as a potential risk factor for suicide and other self-damaging behaviors. However, the association between masculinity and NSSI has yet to be explored. In the current study, a sample of 912 emerging adults from two universities in the Northeastern United States completed a web-based questionnaire assessing adherence to masculine norms, engagement in NSSI, and known risk factors for NSSI (demographics and number of self-injurers known). Stronger adherence to masculine norms predicted chronic NSSI (five or more episodes throughout the life span) above and beyond other known risk factors. Adherence to masculine norms was related to methods of NSSI. Clinical implications are discussed, including discussions of masculine norms in treatment settings. Future research should examine what specific masculine norms are most closely linked to NSSI and other self-damaging behaviors.
On the rating system in alpine skiing racing: Criticism and new proposals
Authors: Maisano Domenico , Botta Andrea , Franceschini Fiorenzo
Published: December 2015

Like most sports, alpine skiing has international regulations – its regulations specifically designed by the FIS, that is, the Fédération Internationale de Ski or International Ski Federation– aimed at coordinating competitions and rating athletes. FIS points, as they are called, represent the core of the rating system, as they facilitate the rating of athletes involved in competitions for each of the five alpine skiing disciplines, that is, slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill, and combined. The objective of this article is to analyse the current rating system, giving special attention to the FIS points’ construction and updating system and focusing on the potential weaknesses. Two major weaknesses emerge from this analysis: (1) the questionable update process of the FIS points, based on the average of the best two results obtained in a discipline of interest, and (2) the lack of a general rating of athletes based on their eclecticism, that is, the ability to obtain good results in as many different disciplines as possible. The second part of the article presents some proposals for sorting out the above weaknesses. The description therein is supported by several practical examples, based on real and hypothetical data.
Feasibility of Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Acquisition Using a Handheld Versus Conventional Tabletop Unit
Authors: Mendez Nicole , Nayak Natasha V. , Kolomeyer Anton M. , Szirth Ben C. , Khouri Albert S.
Published: December 2015

Purpose:

Patients afflicted with ocular complications of diabetes represent a diverse demographic who often cannot undergo spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging of the retina due to postural restraints. Our pilot study compared imaging acquisition methods using SD-OCT in the handheld (HH) mode versus the conventional tabletop (TT) method.

Methods:

Our study included 22 undilated eyes of 22 subjects (mean ± SD age, 35.8 ± 16.8 years) imaged using HH and TT iVue SD-OCT (Optovue, Fremont, CA). Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel 12.2.7 (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA) software with an accepted significance of P < .05.

Results:

Strong intraclass correlation coefficient was observed for (1) overall (.97), superior (.93), and inferior (.94) ganglion cell complex thickness, and (2) central (.98), inferior (.90), superior (.92), nasal (.94), and temporal (.93) macular retinal thickness. Mean scan quality index was adequate but lower in HH versus TT SD-OCT (62.8 vs 68.1, respectively; P < .0001). Multiple attempts for adequate imaging were required more frequently in HH versus TT SD-OCT (34% vs 5%, respectively; P < .001).

Conclusion:

HH SD-OCT may be a feasible alternative to TT SD-OCT in select situations, especially in patients suffering from diabetic complications with limited mobility.
The implications of whole-genome sequencing in the control of tuberculosis
Authors: Lee Robyn S. , Behr Marcel A.
Published: December 2015

The availability of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) as a tool for the diagnosis and clinical management of tuberculosis (TB) offers considerable promise in the fight against this stubborn epidemic. However, like other new technologies, the best application of WGS remains to be determined, for both conceptual and technical reasons. In this review, we consider the potential value of WGS in the clinical laboratory for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the prediction of antibiotic resistance. We also discuss issues pertaining to data generation, interpretation and dissemination, given that WGS has to date been generally performed in research labs where results are not necessarily packaged in a clinician-friendly format. Although WGS is far more accessible now than it was in the past, the transition from a research tool to study TB into a clinical test to manage this disease may require further fine-tuning. Improvements will likely come through iterative efforts that involve both the laboratories ready to move TB into the genomic era and the front-line clinical/public health staff who will be interpreting the results to inform management decisions.
Social Media and the “Read-Only” Web: Reconfiguring Social Logics and Historical Boundaries
Authors: Ankerson Megan Sapnar
Published: December 2015

The web’s historical periodization as Web 1.0 (“read-only”) and Web 2.0 (“read/write”) eras continues to hold sway even as the umbrella term “social media” has become the preferred way to talk about today’s ecosystem of connective media. Yet, we have much to gain by not exclusively positing social media platforms as a 21st-century phenomenon. Through case studies of two commercially sponsored web projects from the mid-1990s—Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab’s Day in the Life of Cyberspace and Rick Smolan’s 24 Hours in Cyberspace—this article examines how notions of social and publics were imagined and designed into the web at the start of the dot-com boom. In lieu of a discourse of versions, I draw on Lucy Suchman’s trope of configuration as an analytic tool for rethinking web historiography. By tracing how cultural imaginaries of the Internet as a public space are conjoined with technological artifacts (content management systems, templates, session tracking, and e-commerce platforms) and reconfigured over time, the discourses of “read-only publishing” and the “social media revolution” can be reframed not as exclusively oppositional logics, but rather, as mutually informing the design and development of today’s social, commercial, web.
Making Space, Making Place: Digital Togetherness and the Redefinition of Migrant Identities Online
Authors: Marino Sara
Published: December 2015

Immigrants have played a fundamental role in shaping the life and form of urban public spaces for generations. Their efforts, as many scholars have observed, mostly aimed at creating places of comfort in new and sometimes hostile receiving countries. In recent years, the combined contribution of the built environment and screen-based experiences have shaped migrants’ sense of community and belonging, thus making the concept of online community central to ideas about space and public life. Drawing upon a 3-year online ethnography, the article discusses to what extent new media constitute spaces of digital togetherness, where diasporic experiences and transnational identities are constructed and negotiated. It presents a transnational model of creative media consumption, which helps give insight as to how diasporas and ethnic minorities contribute to the transformation of public space in the Digital Age.
Campaigning and contestation: Comments on politicians’ Facebook pages during the 2011 Danish general election campaign
Authors: Schwartz Sander Andreas
Published: December 2015

This article is a critical study of the Facebook pages of politicians as public spheres using Dahlberg’s notion of contestation. A method is implemented inspired by qualitative content analysis and including focus groups in order to study citizen comments on eight main political candidates’ Facebook pages during the 2011 Danish election campaign. An analytical framework is presented that conceptualizes the particular platform as a dinner party, with a dinner table, a host, and the invited guests. The dinner party exhibits the interplay between these elements and how they limit the option of contesting the dominating discourse in favor of a supportive marketing logic.