bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota With Reduced Trimethylamine‐N‐Oxide Level in Patients With Large‐Artery Atherosclerotic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack
Authors: Yin Jia , Liao Shuo‐Xi , He Yan , Wang Shan , Xia Geng‐Hong , Liu Fei‐Tong , Zhu Jia‐Jia , You Chao , Chen Qiong , Zhou Liang , Pan Su‐Yue , Zhou Hong‐Wei
Published: November 2015

Background

Gut microbiota has been suggested to play a role in almost all major diseases including cardio‐ and cerebrovascular diseases. A possible mechanism is the transformation of dietary choline and
l
‐carnitine into trimethylamine by gut bacteria. This metabolite is further oxidized into trimethylamine‐N‐oxide (
TMAO
) in liver and promotes atherogenesis. Nevertheless, little is known about gut microbial diversity and blood
TMAO
levels in stroke patients.

Methods and Results

We performed a case‐control study of patients with large‐artery atherosclerotic ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack.
TMAO
was determined with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Gut microbiome was profiled using Illumina sequencing of the 16S
rRNA
V4 tag. Within the asymptomatic control group, participants with and without carotid atherosclerotic plaques showed similar levels of
TMAO
without a significant difference in gut microbiota; however, the gut microbiome of stroke and transient ischemic attack patients was clearly different from that of the asymptomatic group. Stroke and transient ischemic attack patients had more opportunistic pathogens, such as
Enterobacter
,
Megasphaera
,
Oscillibacter
, and
Desulfovibrio
, and fewer commensal or beneficial genera including
Bacteroides
,
Prevotella
, and
Faecalibacterium
. This dysbiosis was correlated with the severity of the disease. The
TMAO
level in the stroke and transient ischemic attack patients was significantly lower, rather than higher, than that of the asymptomatic group.

Conclusions

Participants with asymptomatic atherosclerosis did not exhibit an obvious change in gut microbiota and blood
TMAO
levels; however, stroke and transient ischemic attack patients showed significant dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, and their blood
TMAO
levels were decreased.
Symbolic Computation Using Cellular Automata-Based Hyperdimensional Computing
Authors: Yilmaz Ozgur
Published: November 2015

This letter introduces a novel framework of reservoir computing that is capable of both connectionist machine intelligence and symbolic computation. A cellular automaton is used as the reservoir of dynamical systems. Input is randomly projected onto the initial conditions of automaton cells, and nonlinear computation is performed on the input via application of a rule in the automaton for a period of time. The evolution of the automaton creates a space-time volume of the automaton state space, and it is used as the reservoir. The proposed framework is shown to be capable of long-term memory, and it requires orders of magnitude less computation compared to echo state networks. As the focus of the letter, we suggest that binary reservoir feature vectors can be combined using Boolean operations as in hyperdimensional computing, paving a direct way for concept building and symbolic processing. To demonstrate the capability of the proposed system, we make analogies directly on image data by asking, What is the automobile of air?
Ascertaining National Goals: Project Aimscales
Authors: Dodd Stuart C.
Published: November 2015

The Director of the Washington Public Opinion Laboratory, at the University of Washington, describes a project to develop a scientific instrument designed to ascertain the nations hierarchy of goals, relying on polling in depth. The proposed project is based on a number of supporting and explanatory studies and is currently seeking financial support.
The First National Law and Electronics Conference
Authors: Chasalow Irwin
Published: November 2015

The relations among legal practice and research, linguistics, logic, and electronic data retrieval were explored at last Fall's first National Conference on Law and Electronics, whose proceedings are summarized below. Included as general topics were “Electronics and the Administration of Justice,” “The Language of the Machine and the Language of the Law,” “Logic and Law,” and “The Element of Predictability in Judicial Decision Making.” Mr. Chasalow, a student at the UCLA School of Law, published a prior version of this article in the California State Bar Journal, Nov.-Dec. 1960.
Establishment of reference intervals for aldosterone and renin in a Caucasian population using the newly developed Immunodiagnostic Systems specialty immunoassay automated system
Authors: O’Shea Paula , Brady Jennifer J , Gallagher Noelle , Dennedy Michael C , Fitzgibbon Maria
Published: November 2015

Background

Measurement of aldosterone and/or renin is essential to aid the differential diagnosis of secondary hypertension, guide strategy for therapeutic management of hypertension and assess adequacy of mineralocorticoid replacement.

Aim

The objective was to establish normative data for aldosterone and renin using the Immunodiagnostic Systems specialty immunoassay system platform in a Caucasian population.

Methods

Following informed consent, 365 subjects were recruited to this study. Subjects were ambulatory and attended clinic for blood pressure measurement and phlebotomy between the hours of 7:00 and 11:00. Blood pressure was measured according to the 2013 European Society of Hypertension/Cardiology guidelines. The inclusion criteria: age ≥18 years, BMI <30 kg/m2, non-pregnant, blood pressure <140/90, normal electrolytes and kidney function and not taking prescribed/over the counter medications. Ninety-four subjects were excluded based on these criteria. A total of 271 volunteers (females n = 145), aged 18–65 years formed the reference cohort. Blood for aldosterone/renin was collected into ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid specimen tubes. Samples were kept at room temperature and transported within 30 min of blood draw to the laboratory for immediate processing (centrifugation, separation and freezing of plasma). Plasma was stored at −20℃ prior to analysis on the Immunodiagnostic Systems specialty immunoassay system instrument.

Results

The established reference intervals in an Irish Caucasian population for renin: females: 6.1–62.7 mIU/L, males: 9.0–103 mIU/L, for aldosterone: females: <138–1179 pmol/L, males: <138–670 pmol/L, respectively.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that reference intervals for aldosterone and renin should be gender specific. These automated immunoassays offer rapid stratification of patients with refractory hypertension and will better facilitate the optimization of therapeutic management.
Medical burden, body mass index and the outcome of psychosocial interventions for bipolar depression
Authors: Peters Amy T , Shesler Leah W , Sylvia Louisa , da Silva Magalhaes Pedro Vieira , Miklowitz David J , Otto Michael W , Frank Ellen , Berk Michael , Dougherty Darin D , Nierenberg Andrew A , Deckersbach Thilo
Published: November 2015

Objective:

Individuals with bipolar disorder experience a disproportionately high incidence of medical co-morbidity and obesity. These health-related problems are a barrier to recovery from mood episodes and have been linked with unfavorable responses to pharmacological treatment. However, little is known about whether and how these characteristics affect responses to adjunctive psychotherapy.

Method:

Embedded in the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder was a randomized controlled trial of psychotherapy for bipolar depression comparing the efficacy of intensive psychotherapy plus pharmacotherapy with collaborative care (a three-session psycho-educational intervention) plus pharmacotherapy. We conducted a post-hoc analysis to evaluate whether medical burden and body mass index predicted and/or moderated the likelihood of recovery and time until recovery from a depressive episode among patients in the two treatments.

Results:

Participants who had medical co-morbidity and body mass index data constituted 199 of the 293 patients in the original Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder trial. Higher medical burden predicted a lower likelihood of recovery from depression in both treatment conditions (odds ratio = 0.89), but did not moderate responses to intensive psychotherapy vs collaborative care. Intensive psychotherapy yielded superior recovery rates for individuals of normal body mass index (odds ratio= 2.39) compared with collaborative care, but not among individuals who were overweight or obese.

Conclusion:

Medical co-morbidity and body weight impacts symptom improvement and attention to this co-morbidity may inform the development of more personalized treatments for bipolar disorder.
Mortality associated with anxiolytic and hypnotic drugs—A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Parsaik Ajay K , Mascarenhas Soniya S , Khosh-Chashm Darrow , Hashmi Aqeel , John Vineeth , Okusaga Olaoluwa , Singh Balwinder
Published: November 2015

Background:

Use of hypnotics or anxiolytic drugs is common and various studies have reported increased mortality with hypnotics or anxiolytic use.

Objective:

To consolidate the evidence on mortality risk associated with hypnotics or anxiolytic use

Methods:

Major databases were searched through April 2014 for studies reporting mortality risk associated with hypnotics or anxiolytics use. A pooled hazard ratio with 95% confidence interval was estimated using random-effects model.

Results:

After screening 2188 articles, 25 studies (24 cohort, 1 case-control) enrolling 2,350,093 patients with 59% females (age 18–102 years) were included in the meta-analysis. Hypnotics or anxiolytic users had 43% higher risk of mortality than non-users (hazard ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, [1.12, 1.84]). Eight studies reported risk estimates for each gender category and pooled results from these studies showed increased risk of mortality among men (hazard ratio = 1.60, 95% confidence interval = [1.29,1.99]) and women (hazard ratio = 1.68, 95% confidence interval = [1.38, 2.04]). Pooled results from 10 studies showed higher mortality among benzodiazepine users compared to non-users (hazard ratio = 1.60, 95% confidence interval = [1.03, 2.49]), while pooled results from five studies showed an increased risk of mortality with Z-drugs use although the effect could not reach statistical significance (hazard ratio = 1.73, 95% confidence interval = [0.95, 3.16]). Significant heterogeneity was observed in the analyses and the quality of included studies was good.

Conclusion:

This meta-analysis suggests that hypnotics or anxiolytics drugs use is associated with increased mortality and hence should be used with caution. Future studies focused on underlying mechanism of increased mortality with hypnotics or anxiolytics use are required.
“Whole-of-society” peacebuilding: A new approach for forgotten stakeholders
Authors: Brunk Darren
Published: November 2015

Current best practices in peacebuilding emphasize the importance of integrated or comprehensive approaches that optimize donor state resources through improved coordination and coherence among the security, diplomacy, and development sectors. While these “whole-of-government” approaches have improved donor state engagements in fragile and conflict-affected states in recent years, donor governments have generally failed to effectively engage segments within their home societies that may not be active in peacebuilding activities but that have potential to influence peacebuilding outcomes abroad. A “whole-of-society” approach allows governments to identify and draw from non-traditional actors.
Partnership
Authors: Quah Stella R.
Published: November 2015

This study discusses the main barriers to partnership between family and health services in the context of schizophrenia and de-institutionalization (reduction of the length of hospitalization whenever possible and returning the patient to the community) addressed to deal with the increasing costs and demand for health care services. Thus, in de-institutionalization the burden of care is not resolved but shared with the family, under the assumption that the patient has someone—a family caregiver—who can take up the responsibility of care at home. Despite the high burden of care faced by the family caregiver in mental illness, the necessary systematic partnership between the medical team and the family caregiver is missing. Subjects were 47 family caregivers of persons living with schizophrenia. Data were collected using in-depth interviews, structured questionnaires and attitudinal scales. Data analysis included factor analysis and odds ratios. Two types of barriers to partnership are identified in the literature: health services barriers and barriers attributed to the family. The findings confirm the health services barriers but reject the assumed family barriers.
Quantification of mesoscale variability and geometrical reconstruction of a textile
Authors: Gommer Frank , Brown Louise P , Brooks Richard
Published: November 2015

Automated image analysis of textile surfaces allowed determination and quantification of intrinsic yarn path variabilities in a 2/2 twill weave during the lay-up process. The yarn paths were described in terms of waves and it was found that the frequencies are similar in warp and weft directions and hardly affected by introduced yarn path deformations. The most significant source of fabric variability was introduced during handling before cutting. These resulting systematic deformations will need to be considered when designing or analysing a composite component. An automated method for three dimensional reconstruction of the analysed lay-up was implemented in TexGen which will allow virtual testing of components in the future.
Colonial Twilight: Italian Settlers and the Long Decolonization of Libya
Authors: Ballinger Pamela
Published: November 2015

Italian decolonization has often been described as precocious, given Italy's loss of effective control over its colonies as a result of military defeat in the Second World War. In Libya, however, the projects of agrarian ‘demographic colonization’ that became a showpiece of fascist colonialism continued until 1960 and created persistent tensions between Italy and the independent Libyan state. This article examines a key aspect of Italy's protracted disengagement from Libya: the extended colonial twilight in which Italian farmers continued to work land under the aegis of the parastatal Italian National Social Security Institute. The analysis demonstrates that the fascist colonial project in Libya aimed to sedentarize not only rebellious Libyan pastoralists but also the restless Italian agrarians who formed the backbone of Italian mass emigration overseas. In placing families in planned rural settlements in Libya, the Institute and Italian state officials struggled to circumscribe the mobilities of these colonists. Even after 1945 and fascism's end, settlers possessed little freedom of movement, as demonstrated by the frequent obstacles to repatriation to Italy. Examining settlers' experiences reveals the complexity of the ‘long decolonization’ of Italian Libya, as well as how mobility became a key site of contest under fascism and beyond.
Culture and the Working Life
Authors: Lu Qing , Huang Xu , Bond Michael H.
Published: November 2015

Work centrality has been defined as individual beliefs regarding the importance of work in one’s life (Kostek, 2012). In previous research, however, the importance of work has rarely been contrasted with the importance of other life domains and never across sufficient cultural groups to enable cultural moderation of processes around work centrality to be unpackaged. Accordingly, the present study explores the relative centrality of work (RCW) in the lives of employed men and women around the world, examining its predictors by personal attitudes toward work and independence in the individual’s work context. Given that national cultures socialize their members differently regarding the goals of life, we explore the moderating influence of national Self-directedness versus Other-directedness and Civility versus Practicality (Bond & Lun, 2014) along with gender on these individual-level processes. Using 29,080 respondents to the World Values Survey from representative samples of employees in 45 countries, we found that RCW is predicted pan-nationally by the attitude complex, “work as good” (WAG). A nation’s Self-directedness and its Civility, however, amplify WAG effects. Independence at work only associates with RCW for males and for persons in nations socializing its members for Self-directedness and for Civility. These results show how gender and national cultures moderate the predictors of RCW for individual lives around the world, making many of these findings culture-bound.
Health Assimilation among Hispanic Immigrants in the United States
Authors: Hamilton Tod G. , Palermo Tia , Green Tiffany L.
Published: November 2015

A large literature has documented that Hispanic immigrants have a health advantage over their U.S.-born counterparts upon arrival in the United States. Few studies, however, have disentangled the effects of immigrants’ arrival cohort from their tenure of U.S. residence, an omission that could produce imprecise estimates of the degree of health decline experienced by Hispanic immigrants as their U.S. tenure increases. Using data from the 1996-to-2014 waves of the March Current Population Survey, we show that the health (i.e., self-rated health) of Hispanic immigrants varies by both arrival cohort and U.S. tenure for immigrants hailing from most of the primary sending countries/regions of Hispanic immigrants. We also find evidence that acculturation plays an important role in determining the health trajectories of Hispanic immigrants. With respect to self-rated health, however, our findings demonstrate that omitting arrival-cohort measures from health assimilation models may result in overestimates of the degree of downward health assimilation experienced by Hispanic immigrants.
Component-based light-rail modeling in discrete event systems specification (DEVS)
Authors: Huang Yilin , Seck Mamadou D , Verbraeck Alexander
Published: November 2015

Rail modeling and simulation is an effective decision support instrument for planning and designing complex rail infrastructures and operations. To successfully support these activities at a large scale, the simulation model should be sufficiently detailed and yet be computationally efficient. This poses a set of challenges pertaining to the design of the models. In this paper, we propose a component-based light-rail modeling and simulation library in the discrete event system specification (DEVS) formalism. The proposed library is described in detail and is shown to be efficient and scalable. We conclude the paper by offering a set of good design principles derived from this experience, which are also relevant to other types of large-scale infrastructure system simulation model design.
Understanding Educational Policy Formation
Authors: Fast Idit
Published: November 2015

This study explores mechanisms underlying processes of educational policy formation. Previous studies have given much attention to processes of diffusion when accounting for educational policy formation. Less account has been given to the day-to-day institutional dynamics through which educational policies develop and change. Building on extensive governmental archival data, complemented with interviews and media analysis, I study the development and transformation of school violence policies in Israel. I argue that diffusion of global policy ideas and practices provides the menu of possible policies, while within-country struggles over legitimacy in the policy domain serve as a mechanism shaping which items on the menu becomes actual policy. Specifically, in the Israeli case, the interest in and action toward school violence were influenced by a global trend, but the actions of Psychological-Counseling Services (PCS) who struggled to assert their legitimacy as the authority on school violence in the Israeli Ministry of Education (MOE) shaped the adoption, rejection, and institutionalization of the specific school violence policy ideas and practices.
Does College Influence Sociopolitical Attitudes?
Authors: Campbell Colin , Horowitz Jonathan
Published: November 2015

Past research shows a statistically significant relationship between college completion and sociopolitical attitudes. However, recent scholarship suggests the effects of college on social outcomes may be confounded with unobserved family background. In this study, we leverage the shared family and social background of siblings to better identify the effect of college on sociopolitical attitudes. We draw data from the Study of American Families and General Social Survey and use sibling fixed effects to assess the effect of college on political orientation, support for civil liberties, and beliefs about gender egalitarianism. We find that earning a four-year college degree has a significant impact on support for civil liberties and beliefs about gender egalitarianism, but the effect of college on political orientation is confounded by family background.
Production and characterization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) nanofibrous mat including tourmaline additive
Authors: Safak Serife , Karaca Esra
Published: November 2015

Tourmaline nano powder was used for the first time in the production of poly(ethylene terephthalate) nanofibers. The polymer chips of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) containing 3 wt% tourmaline powder were obtained. The electrospun nanofibrous mats were produced from both of the polymer solutions prepared by using the polymer chips. The nanofibrous mats were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersion spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In order to investigate the effect of tourmaline additive in the poly(ethylene terephthalate) nanofibrous mat, water contact angle, electrical conductivity and negative ion releasing measurements were performed on the mats. The incorporation of tourmaline in the nanofibers improved the wettability, electricity transmission and anion emitting property of the poly(ethylene terephthalate) mat.
Fabrication and characterization of antistatic fiber with segmented pie structure
Authors: Hu Che-Chia , Chang Sheng-Shan , Liang Nai-Yun
Published: November 2015

In this study, multi-component antistatic fibers with segmented pie structures were prepared by conjugate spinning of carbon black (CB)/polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymers. The antistatic property of the CB/PBT/PET fibers can be attributed to two factors: thorough mixing of the CB powder in the polymer matrix, and the close contacts formed between the segmented pie fibers. The fibers were woven and knitted into fabrics whose washing durability and antistatic properties were also tested. The surface resistivity of the woven and knitted fabrics did not change significantly (1.1 × 106 Ω/cm2 to 1.2 × 106 Ω/cm2) even after washing the fabrics 100 times. Thus, these fabrics can be used in a variety of applications that require antistatic materials.
Optical properties of silk fabrics with (SiO2/polyethyleneimine)n film fabricated by electrostatic self-assembly
Authors: Zhuang Guangqing , Ping Wei , Zhang Yun , Jia Yanrong , Zhou Lan , Fan Qinguo , Shao Jianzhong
Published: November 2015

Structural coloration is a kind of biomimetic coloring technology. (Silica/polyethyleneimine) n (SiO2/PEI) n films with structural color on the surface of silk fabrics were fabricated by the electrostatic self-assembly method. The structural color of silk fabrics with (SiO2/PEI) n films was captured by a digital camera, and the reflectance spectra were measured by the DigiEye system and a multi-angle spectrophotometer. The morphological structure of (SiO2/PEI) n films on silk fabrics was observed by a field emission scanning electron microscope. The coloring mechanism of the silk fabrics is in agreement with single thin film interference theory, and the variability of the structural color on the silk fabrics is similar to those on polyester fabrics varying with the assembly cycles, particle sizes and viewing angles. However, the color brilliance, brightness and iridescence effect of the silk fabrics are inferior to those of polyester fabrics with the same films, due mainly to the differences in fiber surface structure and microstructure between silk fibers and polyester fibers.
The effect of seed cotton moisture during harvesting on – part 1 – fiber quality
Authors: van der Sluijs MHJ , Long RL
Published: November 2015

It is generally accepted that harvesting and storing of seed cotton above a moisture content of 12% prior to ginning will compromise fiber quality. This advice stems from research conducted on harvesting seed cotton with the conventional basket and separate module building system, which produces large rectangular modules. It is hypothesized that the 12% moisture content limit will also hold true for harvesting seed cotton in a high-production system using alternative harvesters. The latest generation of harvesters, such as the John Deere (JD) 7760 spindle harvester with on-board module building capacity producing smaller round modules, have greater horsepower, traction and fan capacity, which enables them to harvest cotton when field conditions would have made harvesting difficult with conventional systems. This study examined the fiber quality of saw ginned Upland cotton, harvested from one field using a JD 7760 at two moisture levels, <12% and >12%, and storing the harvested modules for 12 weeks prior to ginning. There was a significant difference between the two moisture levels for fiber color, with seed cotton harvested at >12% resulting in fiber that was yellower, with lower reflectance and a color grade of 52, compared to a 51 grade for seed cotton harvested at <12% treatment. The seed cotton harvested at >12% had more trash with a leaf grade of 3, compared to a leaf grade of 2 for the seed cotton harvested at the <12% level. There was no significant difference between the two moisture levels in terms of fiber length and strength, but fiber micronaire was higher for the higher moisture content. There was no significant difference between the moisture levels for total nep count, but the seed cotton harvested at >12% had larger neps and more seed coat neps.
Introduction: The Great War in cultural memory
Authors: Hurcombe Martin
Published: November 2015

This is the introduction to the special issue of the Journal of European Studies devoted to the cultural memory of the Great War since the war’s end. It outlines briefly some of the political and cultural legacies for Europe, suggesting a few ways in which culture has measured and recorded, but also served as a way to articulate, the manifold ways in which Europeans continued to experience the war beyond its outbreak. It offers a brief introduction to the five articles that constitute the issue.
The Bright Young People of the late 1920s: How the Great War’s Armistice influenced those too young to fight
Authors: Holloway Kerrie
Published: November 2015

The Bright Young People were a much publicized aristocratic coterie and a fragment of the generation that had been old enough to remember the Great War, yet too young to have fought in it. This generation placed more importance on the Armistice of 1918 than the war’s commencement in 1914 as the war’s end undeniably separated them from the generation that fought. Coming of age in the late 1920s, this generation was forced to face the economic, political and social changes wrought by a war in which they had no real role. The Bright Young People reacted to these changes in audacious ways – solving inter-war problems with adventure, flamboyance and flair, yet solving them nonetheless. However, the root of their desire to garner attention and make a statement can be found in their age: just a few years younger than the ‘lost generation’, they were constantly compared to men and women who sacrificed so much on field and home front, even though they could not possibly have taken part themselves. They grew up in an atmosphere of solemnity as Britain strove to remember the war, and they desired to make noise in the silence so as not to be forgotten.
A broken silence? Mass Observation, Armistice Day and ‘everyday life’ in Britain 1937–1941
Authors: Noakes Lucy
Published: November 2015

Between 1937 and 1941 the social survey organization Mass Observation collected material on the ways that the British people experienced and thought about the commemorative practices that marked the anniversary of the Armistice of 1918. What they found was that while people were largely united in their observation of the rituals of remembrance, their thoughts and feelings about these practices were diverse. For some, the acts of commemoration were a fitting way to pay tribute to both the dead and the bereaved. For others, these acts were hypocritical in a nation preparing for war. This article draws on the Mass Observation material to trace some of the diverse ways that remembrance was embodied in everyday life, practised, experienced and understood by the British people as the nation moved once again from peace to war, arguing that studies of the practices of remembrance alone tell us little about how they have been understood by participants.
Of Wonder: Thomas Hobbes’s Political Appropriation of Thaumazein
Authors: Barker Kye Anderson
Published: November 2015

This essay presents a reading of the use of wonder in the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. In this essay, I argue that not only did Hobbes incorporate the ancient conception of wonder into his design for the emotional apparatus of the modern sovereign state, but that when he did so he also transformed it and other concepts. Previous scholars have paid close attention to Hobbes’s confrontation with ancient philosophy, but there has been no sustained study of Hobbes’s use of wonder, which was a concern of his over the entire course of his authorship. More broadly, this study opens up a place for the study of wonder in contemporary political theory as part of the broader reassessment of emotion.
Relational underpinnings and professionality – a case study of a teacher’s practices involving students with experiences of school failure
Authors: Frelin Anneli
Published: November 2015

Relational features of the educational environment, such as positive teacher-student relationships, are important for students’ academic success. This case study explores the relational practices of a teacher who negotiates educational relationships with students who have a history of school failure. ‘Gunilla’, a secondary school teacher working in the Swedish ‘Introduction Programme’ (for students who have not been accepted in national upper secondary school programmes) and identified as a successful instructor for students who have failed at school, was selected for the study. The data consists of two semi-structured interviews eliciting the informant’s stories of practice and the researcher’s contextual observation. Results show how relational practices create an emotionally safe school climate. In the initial phase of the teacher-student relationship the main purpose of the activities is to establish trust and repair the students’ self-image so that they can view themselves as successful learners. This requires professional closeness and the teacher distancing herself from a stereotypical teaching role, in order to display humaneness and empathy. The findings contribute to understanding how relational features in the everyday school context help students to learn and how school psychologists can be part of this endeavour.
Liking a tough teacher: Interpersonal characteristics of teaching and students’ achievement goals
Authors: Mainhard Tim
Published: November 2015

Many have claimed, but only some have shown, that the social nature of teaching and classrooms is likely to have a direct effect on students’ achievement goals. This study examined the extent to which Dutch secondary school students’ ( N = 2892) achievement goals were related to the interpersonal quality of teaching. Students’ goals were examined in terms of individual student perceptions of their teacher and their teacher’s general interpersonal disposition. Multivariate multilevel models were tested, specifying the student and the teacher level and using two achievement approach and two achievement avoidance goals as dependent variables. The most remarkably finding was that students who like a generally tough teacher (Level 2 effect) better than their peers do (i.e. Level 1 effect, students who report relatively high teacher communion) were more likely to report higher levels of approach goals. In particular when considering interpersonally more ‘extreme’ teacher dispositions, effects on students’ goals were considerable. Regarding students’ goals, identifying teachers who generally convey low levels of interpersonal agency and/or communion seems worthwhile for practitioners. Also identifying students with more pronounced, interpersonally negative perceptions of their teachers may be valuable when targeting students’ achievement goals.
Readying students to test: The influence of fear and efficacy appeals on anxiety and test performance
Authors: von der Embse Nathaniel P. , Schultz Brandon K. , Draughn Jeremy D.
Published: November 2015

Educational accountability policies have led to a growth in the use of high-stakes examinations for a number of important educational decisions, including the evaluation of teacher effectiveness. As such, educators are under increasing pressure to raise student test performance. In an attempt to prepare students for a high-stakes exam, teachers often resort to using threat-based messages that focus on the negative consequences of test failure rather than messages highlighting students’ ability or expectation for high performance. However, the relative influence of teacher messaging (threat-based or facilitating) under different testing conditions is unknown. The present investigation examined the use of fear and efficacy appeals with 487 university students. Anxiety, motivation, and test performance data were collected during a typical, lower stakes testing situation and a higher-stakes, final course examination. A two-way mixed ANOVA and a mediation analysis were used to examine between (i.e. fear and efficacy appeals) and within (i.e. different testing conditions) subject factors. Results suggest that fear appeals significantly harm student test performance relative to efficacy appeals, even when controlling for the impact of intrinsic motivation on test anxiety. Contrary to prediction, student anxiety did not appear to explain the relationship between fear appeals and lowered test performance. The potential implications of findings are discussed, including the importance of instructional context with regards to teacher instructional practices and student success.
What makes a motivating teacher? Teachers’ motivation and beliefs as predictors of their autonomy-supportive style
Authors: Katz Idit , Shahar Bat-Hen
Published: November 2015

Findings from several studies suggest that teachers who embrace an autonomy-supportive style vis-à-vis their students promote student motivation. However, the question of what makes teachers adopt this supportive style remains unanswered. Using Self-Determination Theory as a framework, we suggest that teachers’ own motivation and their beliefs about student motivation are predictors of their tendency to opt for an autonomy-supportive rather than a controlling style. One hundred and fifty-four teachers completed a questionnaire designed to assess their type of motivation to teach, what they believe is desirable student motivation, and the level to which they opt for behaviors that support student autonomy. Our findings suggest: Firstly, that teachers who teach out of interest and enjoyment, and value their work (autonomous motivation), tend to believe that the learning of students who are autonomously motivated benefits more; secondly, that teachers who believe that autonomous motivation is desirable for their students’ learning also tend to opt for an autonomy-supportive rather than a controlling style; thirdly, that teachers who are autonomously motivated themselves are more likely to adopt an autonomy-supportive style, especially when they also believe that autonomous motivation is desirable for their students’ learning. The study’s findings highlight the importance of a teacher’s own motivation and beliefs as factors that promote autonomy-supportive behavior in the classroom.
The enabling and protective role of academic buoyancy in the appraisal of fear appeals used prior to high stakes examinations
Authors: Symes Wendy , Putwain David W. , Remedios Richard
Published: November 2015

Prior to high stakes examinations, teachers may engage in instructional practices to encourage their students to prepare well for their exams, including the use of ‘fear appeals’. The current study examined whether academic buoyancy played a role in student appraisals of fear appeals as threatening or challenging. High school students ( N = 770) preparing for high-stakes mathematics exams in England completed self-report measures of the frequency with which their teacher used fear appeals, how they appraised those fear appeals, and their academic buoyancy. In line with prediction, students appraised fear appeals as more threatening and challenging as the frequency of fear appeal use increased. When fear appeals were used more frequently, a challenge appraisal was more likely when academic buoyancy was higher. Although a threat appraisal was less likely when academic buoyancy was higher, the protective influence diminished when fear appeals were used more frequently. Educational implications are discussed.
Examining the context of instruction to facilitate student success
Authors: von der Embse Nathaniel P. , Putwain David W.
Published: November 2015

Identifying effective instructional practices and effective teachers is an important issue in educational research, policy, and practice. However, many schools have resorted to measuring these constructs with student test scores, ignoring the instructional context. In this introductory article to the special issue, we highlight the importance of the instructional context as facilitating of teacher-student relationships, effective instructional practices, and supporting of student success.
Ease of Retrieval Effects on Relationship Commitment
Authors: Tan Kenneth , Agnew Christopher R.
Published: November 2015

How do perceptions of future romantic plans affect close relationships? In three studies, we examined the effects of ease of retrieval of future plans on romantic relationship commitment. We hypothesized that greater ease of retrieval would be associated with greater relationship commitment among those who were high in need for cognition. Study 1 participants listed either two or 10 future plans and completed a measure assessing need for cognition. Results showed that high need for cognition individuals asked to list two instead of 10 future plans reported greater commitment, but those low in need for cognition showed the opposite pattern. Study 2 replicated this effect while controlling for plan substitutability. Study 3 examined the mediational role of commitment doubt. Those high in need for cognition listing more plans had more doubts and reported lower commitment. These findings suggest that perceptions of future plans can influence relationship commitment under specific conditions.
How Should Alcohol Problems Be Conceptualized? Causal Indicators Within the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index
Authors: Arterberry Brooke J. , Chen Ting-Huei , Vergés Alvaro , Bollen Kenneth A. , Martens Matthew P.
Published: November 2015

Alcohol-related problems have traditionally been conceptualized and measured by an effect indicator model. That is, it is generally assumed that observed indicators of alcohol problems are caused by a latent variable. However, there are reasons to think that this construct is more accurately conceptualized as including at least some causal indicators, in which observed indicators cause the latent variable. The present study examined the measurement model of a well-known alcohol consequences questionnaire, the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index. Participants were 703 students from a large public university in the Northeast mandated to an alcohol intervention. We conducted a zero tetrad test to examine a measurement model consisting solely of effect indicators and a model with both causal and effect indicators. Overall, the results suggested the hybrid model fit the data better than a model with only effect indicators. These findings have implications regarding the theoretical underpinnings of alcohol-related consequences.
Performing for the young networked citizen? Celebrity politics, social networking and the political engagement of young people
Authors: Loader Brian D , Vromen Ariadne , Xenos Michael A
Published: November 2015

The use of social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, by politicians and entertainers to engage young citizens can be seen as a further example of the emergence of celebrity politics. While regarded by some commentators as further evidence of the trivialization of political life, this article adopts the alternative approach of those scholars who foreground the potential for popular culture and media entertainment to be more socially inclusive, democratizing and influential in public policy making. To-date analysis of celebrity politics has tended to be focused upon the media performances of politicians and political celebrities, based upon a single country and lacking empirical evidence. This article explores what young citizens drawn from three late-modern democratic societies (Australia, United Kingdom and the US) think about the use of social media by politicians and political celebrities and whether it influenced their own outlook on politics? Our conclusions are that young citizens are generally cautiously positive about both politicians and celebrities using social media but felt that they should learn to use it appropriately if they are to rebuild trust and credibility.
A divine cosmopolitanism? Religion, media and imagination in a socially divided Cairo
Authors: Elsayed Heba
Published: November 2015

With a focus on young Egyptian women, this article explores the different ways it becomes possible to reconcile a Muslim identity with a cosmopolitan openness towards the world. Informed primarily by transnational television, these women articulate a divine cosmopolitan imagination through which they form multiple allegiances to God, the nation and global culture simultaneously. Thus, a close analysis of their regular consumption of transnational television helps challenge linear and somewhat naturalized preconceptions of how Muslims articulate perceptions of self and others. In the articulation of both their cosmopolitan imagination and religious identities, young Egyptian women have become skilled negotiators, moving within and between mediated and non-mediated discourses. They move physically within a grounded place that sets the moral boundaries for bodily existence, yet shift subjectively between disembedded spaces of mediated representation, often providing new contexts for meaning and inclusivity. The result, for young Egyptian women, is a divine cosmopolitan imagination.
Legitimate, but unjust; just, but illegitimate
Authors: Langvatn Silje A.
Published: November 2015

The article offers a reconstruction of John Rawls views on political legitimacy, from A Theory of Justice to his late writings on political liberalism. It argues that Rawls had three conceptions of legitimacy, not two as one might expect based on the distinction between his two major works. Its argument is that the most radical change in Rawls’ thinking about legitimacy occurs in ‘Introduction to the Paperback Edition’ and ‘The Idea of Public Reason Revisited’. Here Rawls assumes that there can be a reasonable pluralism not only of comprehensive doctrines, but also of political liberal conceptions of justice. As a consequence, the standard of political legitimacy is no longer specified as sufficient justice relative to justice as fairness, but instead as sufficient justice relative to a family of political conceptions of justice – a family which in turn is animated by an ideal of public reasoning about constitutional matters and matters of basic justice. The article also shows how Rawls’ late ideal of public reason is grounded in the need for legitimate constitutional government.
Partner Victimization Violence and Relationship Changes in Young Men and Women
Authors: Foster Holly , Brooks-Gunn Jeanne
Published: November 2015

Exposure to physical and psychological intimate partner violence, victimization (IPV) at age 18 has several consequences for relationships at age 23 among a diverse community-based sample of young people, transitioning to adulthood in Chicago ( N = 276). We find exposure to physical IPV increases the likelihood of being single and not involved in relationships in the transition to adulthood among young women. Furthermore, we find evidence of both continuity and change in intimate violence exposure over the early life course. Young men who were exposed to physical and psychological violence at age 18 are likely to be involved in violent relationships compared with nonviolent relationships in young adulthood. However, some young women and men transition out of violent relationships by young adulthood, supporting patterns of change. Our findings of both relationship dissolution among women and relationship continuity in terms of further violence exposure among men warrant further policy consideration.
The Perception of Family in Israel and the United States
Authors: Gavriel-Fried Belle , Shilo Guy
Published: November 2015

Social changes in recent years have led to a broadening of the definition of family. The perception of the concept of family among the American public was assessed in 2003 and 2006 by means of the Family Perception Scale, which found that the respondents fell into three clusters, dubbed Exclusionists, Moderates, and Inclusionists. Based on a sample of adult Jewish population in Israel ( N = 1,518), this study examined whether these categories could apply to the Israeli public too, and if so, whether the distribution of these clusters were the same as in the United States. The study’s findings confirm that while this classification is well suited to the perception of family in Israel, the distribution of the three clusters differs from that in the United States. These findings may indicate that while global influences promote similar views of family structures, local influences may result in different cluster distribution patterns in each society.
Reflections
Authors: Hu Amanda
Published: November 2015

The US Census Bureau reports that 20.7% of Americans speak a language other than English. This is an opportunity of otolaryngologists to build their practice on a second language. This Reflections piece reviews my personal experiences of using my language fluency in Chinese to build a practice in Philadelphia. Through translating office documents, networking with Chinese‐speaking physicians, and volunteering at the free clinic in Chinatown, I was able to serve this non‐English‐speaking community. Although there are translator services in the hospital, there are terms that get lost in translation and cultural norms that outsiders may not understand. I encourage the otolaryngology community to celebrate its diversity and increase access to our specialty for non‐English‐speaking patients.