bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘Brand-Centred Control’: A Study of Internal Branding and Normative Control
Authors: Müller Monika
Published: October 2016

In this article I present brand-centred control as a new form of normative control and examine the ways in which it affects employees. To do so, I draw on the results of a qualitative case study of a consumer products company with a strong corporate culture and brand, and examine internal branding as an extension of culture management. The key insights of the case study show that brand-centred control – unlike traditional normative control that typically works inside the company – also engages an external audience (customers, fans, and the wider public) as an additional source of normative control. As employees internalise the brand image of this external audience, they turn into brand representatives even in absence of face-to-face interactions with others and in their private lives. Brand-centred control thus blurs the boundaries between work and employees’ private lives in unprecedented ways. I discuss the ways in which employees respond to and resist brand-centred control and point to further research on brand-centred control as a significant new form of normative control.
Sensitivity of Alliance Termination to Prealliance Conditions: Expectation Effects of Alliance Partners
Authors: Min Jungwon
Published: October 2016

Alliances are formed according to firms’ expectations about postalliance value generated by partners, which are based on certain conditions during the processes of selecting a partner and forming an alliance (i.e., the prealliance conditions). This study predicts that alliance terminations are likely to occur when such expectations are not satisfied, which is likely when partners’ postalliance characteristics are inferior to their prealliance levels, or when firms have heightened expectations of alliance partners because they have forgone superior potential partners before alliance formation. Results of an analysis using data of codeshare alliances in the global airline industry show that alliance termination results from reduced market complementarity or a reduced number of common partners relative to prealliance levels, and from the presence of not-chosen prealliance potential partners characterized by high market complementarity or large numbers of common partners. The results also show a general propensity for these effects to diminish as alliance duration increases.
Reviewing the Reviews: Examining Similarities and Differences Between Federally Funded Evidence Reviews
Authors: Westbrook T’Pring R. , Avellar Sarah A. , Seftor Neil
Published: October 2016

Background:

The federal government’s emphasis on supporting the implementation of evidence-based programs has fueled a need to conduct and assess rigorous evaluations of programs. Through partnerships with researchers, policy makers, and practitioners, evidence reviews—projects that identify, assess, and summarize existing research in a given area—play an important role in supporting the quality of these evaluations and how the findings are used. These reviews encourage the use of sound scientific principles to identify, select, and implement evidence-based programs. The goals and standards of each review determine its conclusions about whether a given evaluation is of high quality or a program is effective. It can be difficult for decision makers to synthesize the body of evidence when faced with results from multiple program evaluations.

Sample:

This study examined 14 federally funded evidence reviews to identify commonalities and differences in their assessments of evidence of effectiveness.

Findings:

There were both similarities and significant differences across the reviews. In general, the evidence reviews agreed on the broad critical elements to consider when assessing evaluation quality, such as research design, low attrition, and baseline equivalence. The similarities suggest that, despite differences in topic and the availability of existing research, reviews typically favor evaluations that limit potential bias in their estimates of program effects. However, the way in which some of the elements were assessed, such as what constituted acceptable amounts of attrition, differed. Further, and more substantially, the reviews showed greater variation in how they conceptualized “effectiveness.”
Meaningful Effect Sizes, Intraclass Correlations, and Proportions of Variance Explained by Covariates for Planning Two- and Three-Level Cluster Randomized Trials of Social and Behavioral Outcomes
Authors: Dong Nianbo , Reinke Wendy M. , Herman Keith C. , Bradshaw Catherine P. , Murray Desiree W.
Published: October 2016

Background:

There is a need for greater guidance regarding design parameters and empirical benchmarks for social and behavioral outcomes to inform assumptions in the design and interpretation of cluster randomized trials (CRTs).

Objectives:

We calculated the empirical reference values on critical research design parameters associated with statistical power for children’s social and behavioral outcomes, including effect sizes, intraclass correlations (ICCs), and proportions of variance explained by a covariate at different levels ( R2).

Subjects:

Children from kindergarten to Grade 5 in the samples from four large CRTs evaluating the effectiveness of two classroom- and two school-level preventive interventions.

Measures:

Teacher ratings of students’ social and behavioral outcomes using the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation–Checklist and the Social Competence Scale–Teacher.

Research design:

Two types of effect size benchmarks were calculated: (1) normative expectations for change and (2) policy-relevant demographic performance gaps. The ICCs and R2 were calculated using two-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), where students are nested within schools, and three-level HLM, where students were nested within classrooms, and classrooms were nested within schools.

Results and Conclusions:

Comprehensive tables of benchmarks and ICC values are provided to inform prevention researchers in interpreting the effect size of interventions and conduct power analyses for designing CRTs of children’s social and behavioral outcomes. The discussion also provides a demonstration for how to use the parameter reference values provided in this article to calculate the sample size for two- and three-level CRTs designs.
Barriers to Medical Error Reporting for Physicians and Nurses
Authors: Soydemir Dilek , Seren Intepeler Seyda , Mert Hatice
Published: October 2016

The purpose of the study was to determine what barriers to error reporting exist for physicians and nurses. The study, of descriptive qualitative design, was conducted with physicians and nurses working at a training and research hospital. In-depth interviews were held with eight physicians and 15 nurses, a total of 23 participants. Physicians and nurses do not choose to report medical errors that they experience or witness. When barriers to error reporting were examined, it was seen that there were four main themes involved: fear, the attitude of administration, barriers related to the system, and the employees’ perceptions of error. It is important in terms of preventing medical errors to identify the barriers that keep physicians and nurses from reporting errors.
Sacrifice, commitment, and marital quality in the early years of Chinese marriage
Authors: Cao Hongjian , Fang Xiaoyi , Fine Mark A. , Ju Xiaoyan , Lan Jing , Zhou Nan
Published: October 2016

Using the actor–partner interdependence moderation model, this study provides a first look at the associations among sacrifice, commitment, and marital quality during the early years of marriage based on two annual waves of data obtained from Chinese couples. We found that both husbands’ and wives’ perceived cost of sacrifice (HSC and WSC, respectively) rather than frequency of sacrifice was negatively associated with the concurrent levels of their own marital quality, and that HSC was also negatively related to the subsequent changes in their own marital quality. Moreover, wives’ commitment (WCOM) moderated the association between their perceived cost of sacrifice and the concurrent levels of their own marital quality; husbands’ commitment (HCOM) moderated the associations between WSC and the concurrent levels of both husbands’ and wives’ marital quality; and WCOM moderated the association between their perceived frequency of sacrifice and the subsequent changes in husbands’ marital quality. Such findings advance our understanding of how sacrifice and commitment operate in conjunction to influence marital well-being during a stressful, transitional family life stage in a historically understudied population.
Computer-mediated communication (CMC) and social support
Authors: Rains Stephen A. , Brunner Steven R. , Akers Chelsie , Pavlich Corey A. , Goktas Selin
Published: October 2016

Despite the growth in research examining the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) for exchanging social support, there remains much to learn about the support-related implications of CMC. An experiment was conducted to examine the influence of the reduced social cues associated with CMC on the outcomes of supportive interaction. Participants discussed a stressor with a confederate either face-to-face or via CMC and received informational or emotional support. Although they received the exact same support messages, participants in the CMC condition reported significantly greater worry and uncertainty discrepancy following the interaction than participants in the face-to-face condition. A main effect was also found for support message type. Consistent with the optimal matching model, informational support led to more beneficial outcomes than emotional support in response to the (controllable) stressor experienced by participants.
Dyadic alcohol use, alcohol-specific conflict, and relationship dissatisfaction in treatment-seeking men and their female partners
Authors: Mattson Richard E. , Lofgreen Ashton M. , O’Farrell Timothy J.
Published: October 2016

Intimate partners consuming different amounts of alcohol tend to have lower relationship satisfaction, whereas those drinking at similar levels often report happier unions. It is presently unclear how dyadic alcohol use patterns impact relationship satisfaction for couples wherein one member has an alcohol use disorder. We examined this using longitudinal data from an alcoholic treatment sample ( N = 181) and further explored whether conflict pursuant to differential use played a mediating role. Partners similar in their baseline frequency of alcohol intoxication reported higher initial satisfaction but experienced significant declines in satisfaction longitudinally. Highly differential alcohol use was associated with lower satisfaction for both partners at baseline, which was mediated by conflict specific to men’s alcohol use. Notably, baseline relationship variables also predicted subsequent changes in alcohol use. These findings overall support a dyadic understanding of alcoholism and highlight that drinking patterns may link to long-term relationship outcomes differently for alcoholics.
Small business activity and knowledge exchange in informal interfirm networks
Authors: Martin-Rios Carlos , Erhardt Niclas
Published: October 2016

This article explores knowledge search strategies of technology-based small firms (TBSFs) and the role that informal and proximate relationships play in the development of knowledge networks, through which knowledge exchange occurs. Drawing on interfirm relationship and social network theory, we contend that TBSFs participate in informal networks to exchange technology, market and managerial knowledge, to the extent that these knowledge configurations facilitate acquisition of external knowledge critical for their learning processes by TBSFs. Results indicate that a firm’s engagement in the exchange of various sources of knowledge is directly related to its economic activity and strategic knowledge priorities, which shape the structural dimensions of interfirm informal networks. While informal networks remain informal, certain TBSFs formalize their participation as they obtain and combine knowledge resources that are important for their activity. In examining how different interests and roles impact participation in informal interfirm networks, this study contributes to the literature on small firms and collaborative relationships.
The role of orthotactic probability in incidental and intentional vocabulary acquisition L1 and L2
Authors: Bordag Denisa , Kirschenbaum Amit , Rogahn Maria , Tschirner Erwin
Published: October 2016

Four experiments were conducted to examine the role of orthotactic probability, i.e. the sequential letter probability, in the early stages of vocabulary acquisition by adult native speakers and advanced learners of German. The results show different effects for orthographic probability in incidental and intentional vocabulary acquisition: Whereas low orthographic probability contributed positively to incidental acquisition of novel word meanings in first language (L1), high orthographic probability affected positively the second language (L2) intentional learning. The results are discussed in the context of the following concepts: (1) triggering the establishment of a new representation, (2) noticing of new lexemes during reading, and (3) vocabulary size of the L1 and L2 mental lexicons.
‘Digital by Default’ and the ‘hard to reach’: Exploring solutions to digital exclusion in remote rural areas
Authors: Williams Fiona , Philip Lorna , Farrington John , Fairhurst Gorry
Published: October 2016

In the UK, the geography of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure required for Internet connectivity is such that high speed broadband and mobile phone networks are generally less available in rural areas compared with urban areas or, in other words, as remoteness and population sparsity increase so too does the likelihood of an area having no or very poor broadband connectivity. Against a policy backdrop of UK Government efforts to bring forward network infrastructure upgrades and to improve the accessibility of broadband services in locations where there is a weak commercial investment case, this paper considers the options for the ‘final few’ in the prevailing ‘Digital by Default’ public services context. The paper outlines the Rural Public Access WiFi Services project, a study focused upon enabling Internet connectivity for commercially ‘hard to reach’ rural areas in the UK. The Rural Public Access WiFi Services concept and the experiment are introduced before findings from a pilot deployment of a broadband service to households in a remote rural area, who may be classified as ‘digitally excluded’, are presented. The paper then reflects on our field experiment and the potential of the Rural Public Access WiFi Services service model as a solution to overcoming some of the digital participation barriers manifest in the urban–rural divide. Early indications show that the Rural Public Access WiFi Services model has the potential to encourage participation in the Digital Economy and could aid the UK Government’s Digital by Default agenda, although adoption of the model is not without its challenges.
How Do Scientists Define Openness? Exploring the Relationship Between Open Science Policies and Research Practice
Authors: Levin Nadine , Leonelli Sabina , Weckowska Dagmara , Castle David , Dupré John
Published: October 2016

This article documents how biomedical researchers in the United Kingdom understand and enact the idea of “openness.” This is of particular interest to researchers and science policy worldwide in view of the recent adoption of pioneering policies on Open Science and Open Access by the U.K. government—policies whose impact on and implications for research practice are in need of urgent evaluation, so as to decide on their eventual implementation elsewhere. This study is based on 22 in-depth interviews with U.K. researchers in systems biology, synthetic biology, and bioinformatics, which were conducted between September 2013 and February 2014. Through an analysis of the interview transcripts, we identify seven core themes that characterize researchers’ understanding of openness in science and nine factors that shape the practice of openness in research. Our findings highlight the implications that Open Science policies can have for research processes and outcomes and provide recommendations for enhancing their content, effectiveness, and implementation.
Reliability, Validity, and Feasibility of Direct Elicitation of Children’s Preferences for Health States
Authors: Crump R. Trafford , Beverung Lauren M. , Lau Ryan , Sieracki Rita , Nicholson Mateo
Published: October 2016

Background. Children’s preferences for health states represent an important perspective when comparing the value of alternative health care interventions related to pediatric medicine, and are fundamental to comparative effectiveness research. However, there is debate over whether these preference data can be collected and used. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to establish psychometric properties of eliciting preferences for health states from children using direct methods. Data Sources. Ovid Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, EconLit. Study Selection. English studies, published after 1990, were identified using Medical Subject Headings or keywords. Results were reviewed to confirm that the study was based on: 1) a sample of children, and 2) preferences for health states. Data Extraction. Standardized data collection forms were used to record the preference elicitation method used, and any reported evidence regarding the validity, reliability, or feasibility of the method. Data Synthesis. Twenty-six studies were ultimately included in the analysis. The standard gamble and time tradeoff were the most commonly reported direct preference elicitation methods. Seven studies reported validity, four reported reliability, and nine reported feasibility. Of the validity reports, construct validity was assessed most often. Reliability reports typically involved interclass correlation coefficient. For feasibility, four studies reported completion rates. Limitations. The search was limited to four databases and restricted to English studies published after 1990. Only evidence available in published studies were considered; measurement properties may have been tested in pilot or pre-studies but were not published, and are not included in this review. Conclusion. The few studies found through this systematic review demonstrate that there is little empirical evidence on which to judge the use of direct preference elicitation methods with children regarding health states.
Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI measurement of renal function in healthy participants
Authors: Eikefjord Eli , Andersen Erling , Hodneland Erlend , Hanson Erik A , Sourbron Steven , Svarstad Einar , Lundervold Arvid , Rørvik Jarle T
Published: October 2016

Background

High repeatability, accuracy, and precision for renal function measurements need to be achieved to establish renal dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) as a clinically useful diagnostic tool.

Purpose

To investigate the repeatability, accuracy, and precision of DCE-MRI measured renal perfusion and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) using iohexol–GFR as the reference method.

Material and Methods

Twenty healthy non-smoking volunteers underwent repeated DCE-MRI and an iohexol–GFR within a period of 10 days. Single-kidney (SK) MRI measurements of perfusion (blood flow, Fb) and filtration (GFR) were derived from parenchymal intensity time curves fitted to a two-compartment filtration model. The repeatability of the SK-MRI measurements was assessed using coefficient of variation (CV). Using iohexol–GFR as reference method, the accuracy of total MR–GFR was determined by mean difference (MD) and precision by limits of agreement (LoA).

Results

SK-Fb (MR1, 345 ± 84; MR2, 371 ± 103 mL/100 mL/min) and SK–GFR (MR1, 52 ± 14; MR2, 54 ± 10 mL/min/1.73 m2) measurements achieved a repeatability (CV) in the range of 15–22%. With reference to iohexol–GFR, MR–GFR was determined with a low mean difference but high LoA (MR1, MD 1.5 mL/min/1.73 m2, LoA [−42, 45]; MR2, MD 6.1 mL/min/1.73 m2, LoA [−26, 38]). Eighty percent and 90% of MR–GFR measurements were determined within ± 30% of the iohexol–GFR for MR1 and MR2, respectively.

Conclusion

Good repeatability of SK-MRI measurements and good agreement between MR–GFR and iohexol–GFR provide a high clinical potential of DCE-MRI for renal function assessment. A moderate precision in MR-derived estimates indicates that the method cannot yet be used in clinical routine.
Ocular Lesions in Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) With Naturally Acquired West Nile Disease
Authors: Wünschmann A. , Armién A. G. , Khatri M. , Martinez L. C. , Willette M. , Glaser A. , Alvarez J. , Redig P.
Published: October 2016

Ocular lesions are common in red-tailed hawks with West Nile (WN) disease. These lesions consist of pectenitis, choroidal or retinal inflammation, or retinal necrosis, but detailed investigation of the ocular lesions is lacking. Postmortem examination of the eyes of 16 red-tailed hawks with naturally acquired WN disease and 3 red-tailed hawks without WN disease was performed using histopathology, immunohistochemistry for West Nile virus (WNV) antigen, glial fibrillary acid protein, cleaved caspase-3, and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling method. Retinal lesions were classified as type I or type II lesions. Type I lesions were characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates in the subjacent choroid with degeneration limited to the outer retina (type Ia lesion) or with degeneration and necrosis of the outer retina or outer and inner retina (type Ib lesion) while retinal collapse, atrophy, and scarring were hallmarks of type II lesions. Type II retinal lesions were associated with a more pronounced choroiditis. Although not statistically significant, WNV antigen tended to be present in larger quantity in type Ib lesions. Type I lesions are considered acute while type II lesions are chronic. The development of retinal lesions was associated with the presence of an inflammatory infiltrate in the choroid. A breakdown of the blood-retina barrier is suspected to be the main route of infection of the retina. Within the retina, virus appeared to spread via both neuronal and Müller cell processes.
Pathologic Findings and Viral Antigen Distribution During Natural Infection of Ring-Necked Pheasants With H5N2 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus A
Authors: Ajithdoss D. K. , Torchetti M. K. , Badcoe L. , Bradway D. S. , Baszler T. V.
Published: October 2016

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a major viral disease of poultry characterized by acute onset, systemic infection, and rapid death. In January 2015, H5N2 HPAI was identified by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and gene sequencing as the cause of rapid death in 40 of 390 ring-necked pheasants (approximately 10% mortality), raised in a game bird farm in Washington State. We report clinicopathologic findings and viral antigen distribution in pheasants that died during the outbreak. Affected birds were depressed with reluctance to move, ruffled feathers, and drooping heads. Congestion of the cerebellar meningeal blood vessels was the only consistent gross pathologic finding. Meningoencephalitis with vasculitis and necrosis in the spleen and heart were the major microscopic lesions in the birds. Viral antigen was consistently detected in the brain, heart, and ovary with variable presence in other organs.
Left Ventricular Apical Aneurysm in a Cat With Primary Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Ramírez-Hernández C. , Barbosa-Quintana A. , Ramírez-Romero R.
Published: October 2016

A 13-year-old female Persian cat died suddenly after severe respiratory distress. At necropsy, the changes were compatible with congestive heart failure. The heart was enlarged with a flabby and puckered sac-like aneurysm at the apex of the left ventricle. The apical zone showed a thin muscular wall arising from the free wall of the left ventricle connected to a bulged saccular area through a wide communication. Microscopically, the wall of the aneurysm was composed of fibrous connective tissue with neovascularization and sparse atrophied myocardial cells at the margins. A few isolated cardiomyocytes in the lesion stained positively for desmin, and the inner lining of the aneurysm had immunoreactivity to von Willebrand factor and CD31. Mature fibrous connective tissue was interspersed with degenerated and disorganized cardiomyocytes elsewhere in the myocardium, and many small myocardial arteries were tortuous and thickened. In this case of sudden death, the diagnosis was primary cardiomyopathy, with formation of a left ventricular apical aneurysm within an area of marked myocardial fibrosis and cardiomyocyte atrophy.
Cultural memory, teaching and contemporary writing about the First World War
Authors: Einhaus Ann-Marie
Published: October 2016

The centenary commemorations of the First World War have prompted renewed debate as to the ways in which it ought to be remembered in future, not least through teaching and through historical fiction. This article discusses two contemporary collections of short stories and a number of novels published between 1991 and 2014. It reads these modern literary accounts of the First World War against current popular perceptions of and commemorative discourses surrounding the war, including the representation of the war in secondary education and the use of literature in the classroom. In doing so, the article draws in part on a research project that investigated the teaching of the First World War and its literature in English secondary schools between February 2013 and August 2014.
Not of our race, nor yet wholly strangers: Race, religion and empire in some novels of early Christian Britain
Authors: Johnson Maria Poggi
Published: October 2016

The small generic niche of nineteenth century historical novels set in early Christian Britain allows room for the expression of a variety of positions on such topics of popular concern as the racial origins and identity of the English, the form of Christianity proper to England, and the moral questions attending the status of England as an imperial power. Novels construct narratives which support views of the English as entirely Anglo-Saxon or as significantly Celtic in origin, visions of church history congruent with evangelical, broad church and Anglo-Catholic positions and attitudes to empire which range from openly jingoistic to ambivalent or critical.
Flying the flag for neoliberalism
Authors: Fekete Liz
Published: October 2016

The author looks, in the light of the June 2016 EU referendum vote in the UK, at the apparent rupture between Eurosceptic nationalists and transnational neoliberal elites, examining also the interlinked decline in support for Social Democratic and Conservative mainstream political parties. She examines how ultra-nationalism plays out in different parts of the EU at a time of retrenchment, austerity, terrorism and insecurity – to fortify conservatism as well as neoliberal forms of governance based on new forms of surveillance. Nationalism, racism and the political Right are discussed in terms of the EU’s uneven development – between core (ordoliberal Germany) and periphery – and Europe’s legacy of authoritarianism and fascism, evoked today through the politicisation of memory and a stress on national victimhood and the Muslim enemy within. While some national elites draw on rightwing authoritarian traditions, nationalism can also prove advantageous to neoliberal transnational forces. For in grossly unequal and socially volatile societies, rejecting austerity in favour of protectionism, only a more commanding and authoritarian state can finalise the necessary transition from nation state to market state.
An Epidemiological Study of Burglary Offenders: Trends and Predictors of Self-Reported Arrests for Burglary in the United States, 2002-2013
Authors: DeLisi Matt , Nelson Erik J. , Vaughn Michael G. , Boutwell Brian B. , Salas-Wright Christopher P.
Published: October 2016

Burglary is serious property crime with a relatively high incidence and has been shown to be variously associated with other forms of criminal behavior. Unfortunately, an epidemiological understanding of burglary and its correlates is largely missing from the literature. Using public-use data collected between 2002 and 2013 as part of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the current study compared those who self-reported burglary arrest in the prior 12 months with and without criminal history. The unadjusted prevalence estimates of self-reported burglary arrest were statistically different for those with a prior arrest history (4.7%) compared with those without an arrest history (0.02%) which is a 235-fold difference. Those with an arrest history were more likely to report lower educational attainment, to have lower income, to have moved more than 3 times in the past 5 years, and to use alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and engage in binge drinking. Moreover, those with prior arrest histories were younger and more likely to be male. There is considerable heterogeneity among burglars with criminal history indicating substantially greater behavioral risk.
From Deng to the demos? Han Dongfang’s Laborism, Wen Tiejun’s peasantism, and the future of capitalism and democracy in China
Authors: Mulvad Andreas
Published: October 2016

This article deploys Bob Jessop’s strategic-relational approach to ask two questions: First, how is China’s party-based power bloc seeking to renew its hegemony, as the symbolic power of ‘Dengism’ erodes in an age marked by class formation and increasing social tensions? Second, how are subaltern social movements seeking to influence the articulation of a new, less elitist hegemonic project? Based on original interview data, I compare two of China’s most famous organic intellectuals, both centrally placed in class-based counter-movements triggered by China’s marketization. Both advocate a non-dissident strategy of change within rather than against the party-state, but their visions differ greatly. Trade unionist and 1989 protest leader Han Dongfang favors a social democratic vision based on strengthening the collective bargaining power of the Chinese working class within the market economy. In contrast, the self-declared ‘petty bourgeois’ vision of agricultural economist Wen Tiejun advocates resisting marketization, reinvigorating traditional lifestyles, and enhancing the power of the peasantry through self-organization. I argue that both visions are in partial tension with the status quo: While Han’s ‘laborism’ is compatible with the power bloc’s plans for a post-exportist accumulation strategy centered on domestic consumption, its liberal democratic premise contradicts the dictatorial state project of the Communist Party of China. Conversely, Wen’s ‘peasantism’ is symbiotic with the Communist Party of China’s hope to renew its political-ideological mandate by revitalizing Chinese culture, yet its radical economic underpinnings (emphasizing de-commodification and de-urbanization) make it hard to square with the overall logic of capitalist reform and opening-up. The successful articulation of a populist counter-hegemony depends on the extent to which the gap between laborism and peasantism is overcome both organizationally and intellectually.
Mindfulness and headache: A “new” old treatment, with new findings
Authors: Andrasik Frank , Grazzi Licia , D'Amico Domenico , Sansone Emanuela , Leonardi Matilde , Raggi Alberto , Salgado-García Francisco
Published: October 2016

Background

Mindfulness refers to a host of procedures that have been practiced for centuries, but only recently have begun to be applied to varied pain conditions, with the most recent being headache.

Methods

We reviewed research that incorporated components of mindfulness for treating pain, with a more in depth focus on headache disorders. We also examined literature that has closely studied potential physiological processes in the brain that might mediate the effects of mindfulness. We report as well preliminary findings of our ongoing trial comparing mindfulness alone to pharmacological treatment alone for treating chronic migraine accompanied by medication overuse.

Results

Although research remains in its infancy, the initial findings support the utility of varied mindfulness approaches for enhancing usual care for headache management. Our preliminary findings suggest mindfulness by itself may produce effects comparable to that of medication alone for patients with chronic migraine and medication overuse.

Conclusions

Much work remains to more fully document the role and long term value of mindfulness for specific headache types. Areas in need of further investigation are discussed.
Critical evaluation of challenges and future use of animals in experimentation for biomedical research
Authors: Singh Vijay Pal , Pratap Kunal , Sinha Juhi , Desiraju Koundinya , Bahal Devika , Kukreti Ritushree
Published: October 2016

Animal experiments that are conducted worldwide contribute to significant findings and breakthroughs in the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of various diseases, bringing up appropriate clinical interventions. However, their predictive value is often low, leading to translational failure. Problems like translational failure of animal studies and poorly designed animal experiments lead to loss of animal lives and less translatable data which affect research outcomes ethically and economically. Due to increasing complexities in animal usage with changes in public perception and stringent guidelines, it is becoming difficult to use animals for conducting studies. This review deals with challenges like poor experimental design and ethical concerns and discusses key concepts like sample size, statistics in experimental design, humane endpoints, economic assessment, species difference, housing conditions, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses that are often neglected. If practiced, these strategies can refine the procedures effectively and help translate the outcomes efficiently.
Camel whey protein improves lymphocyte function and protects against diabetes in the offspring of diabetic mouse dams
Authors: Mahmoud Mohamed H , Badr Gamal , El Shinnawy Nashwa A
Published: October 2016

The prevalence of health problems in the offspring of pregnant diabetic mothers has recently been verified. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the influence of dietary camel whey protein (CWP), administered as a supplement to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic pregnant mice, on the efficiency of the immune system of the offspring. Three groups of female mice (n = 10) were used: non-diabetic control mice, diabetic mice, and diabetic mice orally administered CWP during the pregnancy and lactation periods. We then tested the immune response of B and T cells in adult male offspring (n = 15 in each group) by using flow cytometry, western blotting, and ELISAs. Our data demonstrated that the offspring of diabetic dams exhibited several postpartum complications, such as significant aberrant overexpression of activating transcription factor-3 (ATF-3), significant elevation of the plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), marked decreases in the plasma levels of IL-2 and IL-7, significant inhibition of CCL21- and CXCL12-mediated chemotaxis of B- and T-lymphocytes, and a marked decrease in the proliferative capacity of antigen-stimulated B- and T-lymphocytes. Interestingly, administration of CWP to diabetic dams substantially restored the expression of ATF-3 and the levels of ROS, pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-2, and IL-7 in the offspring. Furthermore, the chemotaxis of B- and T-lymphocytes toward CCL21 and CXCL12 and the proliferative capacities of these lymphocytes were restored in the male offspring of diabetic mice administered CWP. Our data provide evidence of a protective role of CWP in decreasing the tendency of the offspring of diabetic mothers to develop diabetes and related complications.
Homo Clausus, Homo Sacer, Homines Aperti: Challenges for Group Analysis in the 21st-Century. A Response to Haim Weinberg’s 40th Foulkes Lecture
Authors: Penna Carla
Published: October 2016

In this response I will bring the historical roots of the modern individualism and Norbert Elias conceptualizations on Homo Clausus and Homines Aperti—also introducing as Agamben’s discussion on Homo Sacer and other forms of human and societal prejudice and exclusion—to criticize contemporary individualism and discuss the challenges for group analysis in the 21st-century. I build on Haim Weinberg’s concerns on ‘Impossible groups that Flourish in Leaking Containers’ to highlight the importance of ‘total situations’ and ‘applied’ group analysis, since 1948 Foulkes tenets until the current group analytic new challenges.
The Measurement and Dimensionality of Mobile Learning Systems Success
Authors: Lin Hsin-Hui , Wang Yi-Shun , Li Ci-Rong , Shih Ying-Wei , Lin Shin-Jeng
Published: October 2016

The main purpose of this study is to develop and validate a multidimensional instrument for measuring mobile learning systems success (MLSS) based on the previous research. This study defines the construct of MLSS, develops a generic MLSS instrument with desirable psychometric properties, and explores the instrument’s theoretical and practical applications. By analyzing data from a calibration sample ( n = 241) and a validation sample ( n = 209), this study proposes a 6-factor, 25-item MLSS instrument. This empirically validated instrument will be useful to researchers in developing and testing mobile learning theories, as well as to educators in understanding MLSS from students’ perspective and promoting the use of mobile learning systems.
Parsing the Relations of Race and Socioeconomic Status in Special Education Disproportionality
Authors: Kincaid Aleksis P. , Sullivan Amanda L.
Published: October 2016

This study investigated how student and school-level socioeconomic status (SES) measures predict students’ odds of being identified for special education, particularly high-incidence disabilities. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten cohort, hierarchical models were used to determine the relations of student and school SES to special education identification. Results indicated neither student-level SES variables for parent education, prestige, and income, nor school-level aggregates of SES measures, predicted overall special education placement, but higher parent education attainment was negatively related to high-incidence disability identification (adjusted odds ratio = 0.73). These findings suggest that racial disproportionality is not attributable to racial differences in income and indicate a need for further investigation of the mechanisms by which the longstanding racial disparities in special education emerge and are maintained. In particular, we discuss the implications of this study for further research into the relations of indicators of parent’s status on educational decisions within special education.
Améliorer les comportements alimentaires avec l’étiquetage nutritionnel : vers un agenda de recherche au service du Bien-être des consommateurs
Authors: Nabec Lydiane
Published: October 2016

L’étiquetage nutritionnel des produits agroalimentaires porte un enjeu majeur pour les pouvoirs publics : améliorer les comportements alimentaires des consommateurs. Cet article propose une synthèse des connaissances actuelles sur le sujet et invite les chercheurs en marketing à considérer les apports de la Transformative Consumer Research (TCR) dans un agenda de recherche. Il vise à comprendre les effets de l’étiquetage nutritionnel sur le Bien-être alimentaire des consommateurs au regard des spécificités de leur contexte social, culturel et sociétal.
Parental and Nonparental Career-Related Support Among Young Adults
Authors: Michaeli Yossi , Dickson Daniel J. , Shulman Shmuel
Published: October 2016

The present study examined the prevalence and role of career-related support in 100 Israeli emerging adults who were followed from ages 22 to 29. At the age of 29, participants were asked to name any significant persons who had impacted their career history. Both parents and nonfamily other adults were most frequently cited to provide career-related support. While both parents provided both emotional and professional career-related support, other adults tended to provide mainly professional support. Availability of career-related support was associated with greater occupational adequacy and higher psychosocial functioning. Parental career-related support was mainly predicted by parental support 7 years earlier. The likelihood of citing a nonparental career-related supportive relationship was predicted by increased personal efficacy and maternal support 7 years earlier. Findings of this study shed light on the role of parental and nonparental career-related support in navigating successfully the transition to adulthood.
University Graduates’ Employability, Employment Status, and Job Quality
Authors: González-Romá Vicente , Gamboa Juan Pablo , Peiró José M.
Published: October 2016

We investigated whether a set of indicators of the employability dimensions proposed by Fugate, Kinicki, and Asforth (i.e., career identity, personal adaptability, and human and social capital) are related to university graduates’ employment status and five indicators of the quality of their jobs (pay, hierarchical level, vertical and horizontal match, and job satisfaction). We analyzed a representative sample of university graduates ( N = 7,881) from the population of graduates who obtained their degree from the University of Valencia in the period 2006–2010. The results showed that indicators of human and social capital were related to employment status, whereas indicators of human and social capital and career identity were related to distinct job quality indicators. These results support the validity of the conceptual model proposed by Fugate et al. to investigate employability in samples of university graduates.
Influence of femtosecond laser on the osteogenetic efficiency of polyetheretherketone and its composite
Authors: Guo Jing , Liu Lijun , Liu Hong , Gan Kang , Liu Xiuju , Song Xiaoqing , Niu Deli , Chen Tianjie
Published: October 2016

Objective:

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a femtosecond laser on the osteogenetic efficiency of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and its composite for clinical applications.

Methods:

One hundred pieces of PEEK and its composite (6 × 4 × 2 mm3) were randomly divided into four groups and treated as follows: group A1, PEEK; group A2, PEEK + femtosecond laser; group B1, PEEK composite; and group B2, PEEK composite + femtosecond. The surface morphology of the pieces of each group was observed through scanning electron microscopy. The surface roughness and wettability, which were considered as the main parameters affecting cell adhesion characteristics of implants, were measured. The animals whose mandibles were implanted with the four groups of materials were killed at the end of 6 and 12 weeks. Various characterization tests, such as Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), push-out test, microscope test, and bone implant contact , were conducted to investigate the healing effect between materials and bones.

Results:

In group B1, the nanoparticles in PEEK were uniformly distributed. In groups A2 and B2, many periodic nanostructures were observed. The surface roughness and wettability of group B2 were significantly increased compared to those of the other groups ( p < 0.05). At each time point, the number of trabecular bones, contact strength, and BIC of group B2 were higher than those of the three other groups ( p < 0.05). Compared with those of group A1, the test results of group B1 were significantly improved.

Conclusion:

Femtosecond lasers can effectively enhance the biological activity of PEEK and its composite; PEEK composite exhibits better biological activity than PEEK.
Electrochromic and electrofluorochromic polyimides with fluorene-based triphenylamine
Authors: Sun Ningwei , Meng Shiyao , Feng Fei , Zhou Ziwei , Han Tian , Wang Daming , Zhao Xiaogang , Chen Chunhai
Published: October 2016

A series of novel polyimides (PIs) based on N,N-di(4-aminophenyl)-2-amino-9,9-dimethylfluorene and various dianhydrides were synthesized. These PIs were amorphous and readily soluble in many solvents. They displayed outstanding thermal stability and high glass transition temperatures (269–374°C). The polymer films showed reversible electrochemical redox and satisfactory electrochromic performance with long-term stability, high coloration efficiency, and acceptable switching times. The PI derived from 1,2,4,5-cyclohexanetetracarboxylic dianhydride exhibited maximum fluorescence at 400 nm with quantum yields up to 28.1%. Furthermore, the fluorescence can be effectively electroswitched between “on” and “off” states, exhibiting a high contrast ratio of 75.
Design of flexure hinges based on stress-constrained topology optimization
Authors: Liu Min , Zhang Xianmin , Fatikow Sergej
Published: October 2016

Stress concentration is one of the disadvantages of flexure hinges. It limits the range of motion and reduces the fatigue life of mechanisms. This article designs flexure hinges by using stress-constrained topology optimization. A weighted-sum method is used for converting the multi-objective topology optimization of flexure hinges into a single-objective problem. The objective function is presented by considering the compliance factors of flexure hinges in the desired and other directions. The stress constraint and other constraint conditions are developed. An adaptive normalization of the P-norm of the effective von Mises stresses is adopted to approximate the maximum stress, and a global stress measure is used to control the stress level of flexure hinges. Several numerical examples are performed to indicate the validity of the method. The stress levels of flexure hinges without and with stress constraints are compared. In addition, the effects of mesh refinement and output spring stiffness on the topology results are investigated. The stress constraint effectively eliminates the sharp corners and reduces the stress concentration.