bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experiences With Coparenting Scale: A Semantic Differential Measure of Postdivorce Coparenting Satisfaction
Authors: Beckmeyer Jonathon J. , Ganong Lawrence H. , Coleman Marilyn , Markham Melinda Stafford
Published: February 2016

Using data from 280 divorced or separated parents, we provide initial evidence of the psychometric properties and validity of the Experiences with Coparenting Scale (ECS), an 11-item semantic differential measure of divorced parents’ satisfaction with their coparenting relationships. The ECS consisted of a single factor with high internal reliability. ECS scores were significantly associated with self-reported coparenting behaviors and intentions, even after controlling for demographic variables and participants’ positive feelings about their ex-spouses. Therefore, we conclude that the ECS is a brief measure of the affective domain of postdivorce coparenting. We discuss how the ECS can be used by researchers to enhance their understanding of the development and impacts of postdivorce coparenting and by practitioners as part of family programs for divorced and divorcing parents.
Not So Black and White
Authors: Surdam David , Brown Kenneth , Gabriel Paul E.
Published: February 2016

Jackie Robinson was the first acknowledged Black player in 20th century Major League Baseball (MLB). By 1951, a few Black players had performed credibly at the Major League level, while others were integrating Minor League Baseball. Unlike other labor situations where proxies for productivity must be used, Minor League players at the AAA level—the level just below the Major Leagues—performed and compiled their playing statistics under similar competitive environments. Using regression analysis, we test whether there is evidence of discrimination in promoting Black players to the Major Leagues, based on productivity data from the early 1950s.
In Protection of Whose “Wellbeing?” Considerations of “Clauses and A/Effects” in Athlete Contracts
Authors: Kohe Geoffery Z. , Purdy Laura G.
Published: February 2016

Contractual agreements have become an accepted part of participation processes for athletes in a variety of sport contexts. Closer readings of these contracts, however, pose several questions regarding organizational intentions and motivations, the conceptualization of athletes as “workers,” and representation parity. In this article, we draw on four types of athlete contractual documents from both select international “amateur” and “professional” sport settings. Our key considerations include athletes’ ownership over their image and identities; medical and health disclosures; lifestyle, behavioral and body choices, and restrictions beyond sport; adherence to organizational philosophy and commitments; and social media and publicity constraints. Our exegesis here encourages sport researchers to deliberate whose “wellbeing” matters most when signing that seductive dotted line.
Do Cyborgs Desire Their Own Subjection? Thinking Anthropology With Cinematic Science Fiction
Authors: Dickson Jessica
Published: February 2016

Primarily a thought experiment, this essay explores how cinematic cyborgs and anthropological approaches to personhood and subjectivity might be theorized together. The 1980s and 1990s showed considerable investment by media producers, and strong reception by audiences and culture critics, to science fiction (SF) film and television franchises that brought new attention to the imagined cyborg subject in the popular imagination of the time. Outside of Hollywood, this same period was marked by biomedical and technological advancements that raised profound implications for Western conceptions of personhood. While SF has enjoyed a long-standing position in the social sciences, primarily with sociologists and feminist theorists, SF’s preoccupation with what it means to be human calls for anthropological engagement as well. Yet if Donna Haraway envisioned cyborgs as celebrated sites of gender de/reconstruction and open possibility, why is it that cinematic cyborgs desire so strongly to become subjects of mothers, lovers, government, and God? While primary attention is given here to film texts and academic articles that drove discussions of science and technology in popular culture during the decades preceding the millennium, with remakes, reboots, and sequels to popular franchises underway, a renewed interest in the anthropological questions these films and series provoke is evident.
New Media Audiences’ Perceptions of Male and Female Scientists in Two Sci-Fi Movies
Authors: Simis Molly J. , Yeo Sara K. , Rose Kathleen M. , Brossard Dominique , Scheufele Dietram A. , Xenos Michael A. , Pope Barbara Kline
Published: February 2016

Portrayals of female scientists in science fiction tend to be rare and often distorted. Our research investigates the social media discourse related to public perceptions of the portrayals of scientists in science fiction. We explore the following questions: How does audience discourse about a female scientist protagonist in a science fiction film compare with that about a male scientist in a comparable movie? And, what fraction of discourse in each case is dedicated to (a) comments on physical appearance and (b) incredulity that the character is a scientist? Using automated nonparametric sentiment analysis software that employs an intelligent algorithm informed by human coding, we analyze Twitter discourse around the release of two summer 2011 science fiction blockbusters with scientists in lead roles: Thor and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Although scholars have pointed to sexualized portrayals of women scientists in popular media, we found relatively few mentions of the attractiveness of an admittedly attractive female scientist. Additionally, audience discourse was not centered on the implausibility of the female scientist. This is particularly meaningful when combined with previous research showing that strong women in lead roles do not decrease profitability of science fiction films.
The Iterative Use of Single Case Research Designs to Advance the Science of EI/ECSE
Authors: Barton Erin E. , Ledford Jennifer R. , Lane Justin D. , Decker Jessica , Germansky Sara E. , Hemmeter Mary Louise , Kaiser Ann
Published: February 2016

Research in early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) is focused on identifying effective practices related to positive outcomes for young children with disabilities and their families. Individual responses to evidence-based practices are often variable, and non-responders are common. Single case research (SCR) might be particularly well suited to examining differences across participants given the dynamic nature of the methodology. The repeated measurement of behaviors and visual analysis of subsequent data allow researchers to continually monitor behavior and make necessary adaptations to ensure positive child outcomes. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the dynamic nature of single case research design (SCRD) and the utility of SCRD in the iterative development of adaptive evidence-based practices using three examples of SCR studies. Implications for research and practice in EI/ECSE are discussed.
The Making of Chinese Civil Service Law
Authors: Chan Hon S.
Published: February 2016

The goal of Chinese civil service reform is an appropriate balance in the relationship between politics and administration. This article examines the interaction between Chinese reformers and bureaucrats by raising two key questions: “What problems did Chinese reformers identify?” and “What measures did Chinese bureaucrats use to address these problems?” The article discusses three approaches that reformers took toward establishing a civil service system in China as they attempted to define, arrange, and interpret priorities to meet political and policy challenges. Core to the endeavor is the question of how far measures can be taken to reduce the power and authority of the Communist Party of China such that a state civil service can fully function. The article finds that, although some bureaucrats did want to adopt certain Western principles in civil service (as they understood or misunderstood them), for the most part they relied on an examination of the national political systems to define reform problems and formulate solutions. In the final analysis, because the reformers decided to write politics into the law, the bureaucrats needed to find ways through the legislation to formalize the leading role of the party, to make description fit with facts (i.e., comport with reality), and to unify personnel management power by merging a statutory civil service law with a nonstatutory personnel management system.
Prevalence and risk factors of postoperative delirium in elderly hip fracture patients
Authors: Guo Yong , Jia Peiyu , Zhang Junfeng , Wang Xuemin , Jiang Hong , Jiang Wei
Published: February 2016

Objective

To explore the risk factors associated with postoperative delirium (PD) in elderly patients following total hip arthroplasty (THA) for hip fracture.

Methods

This prospective study enrolled elderly patients (≥ 65 years) with hip fractures who underwent THA under general anaesthesia, and who had a complete set of postoperative observations. Detailed medical history and perioperative characteristics were recorded. During the postoperative period, patients were assessed twice daily for PD using the Confusion Assessment Method.

Results

A total of 572 patients were eligible for inclusion in the study. Of these, 120 patients (21.0%) were diagnosed with PD and 452 patients (79.0%) did not experience PD. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analyses showed that older age, a history of stroke, lower albumin, higher blood glucose, higher total bilirubin, higher C-reactive protein, longer surgery duration and higher volume of red blood cell transfusions were independent risk factors for PD.

Conclusions

Correcting the modifiable risk factors might help prevent PD. Strategies might include nutritional support, tight blood glucose control, improvement of liver function, preoperative infection control and minimizing surgical injury or blood loss.
Structural Content in Paintings II: Artists Commissioned to Reproduce a Specific Image Over-Regularize Orientation Biases in Their Paintings
Authors: Essock Edward A. , Schweinhart April M.
Published: February 2016

Measurements of psychophysical performance show that the visual system is biased in ways that counteract statistical regularities of natural scenes thereby allowing efficient coding. Here we consider the perceptual effects of these encoding biases in a “holistic” way by measuring characteristics of the paintings produced by artists making perceptual matches to a natural scene image; 10 artists were asked to produce an exact copy of a single outdoor landscape scene. The structural content of the paintings produced and the “ground truth” image were compared in the frequency domain. The artists were found to over-regularize the orientation content in the paintings: The anisotropy existing only at the lowest spatial scales in the natural scene image was produced across all spatial scales in these commissioned paintings. These results were compared to those from two other methods of comparing paintings and natural scenes reported previously in a companion paper and all three methodologies indicate very similar over-regularization. We suggest that artists may have a general canonical representation of structural relations of scenes that they apply broadly within their creations.
Investigating the influence of music tempo on arousal and behaviour in laboratory virtual roulette
Authors: Bramley Stephanie , Dibben Nicola , Rowe Richard
Published: February 2016

A number of studies indicate that fast music influences performance in everyday activities including shopping and gambling, but the mechanisms through which this effect is realised are not well understood. This study investigates whether fast tempo music influences gambling via an effect on arousal using a laboratory virtual roulette task. One hundred and forty-four participants played virtual roulette whilst listening to fast tempo, slow tempo or no music. Music tempo alone did not influence betting speed, expenditure or risk-taking. Furthermore tempo did not influence participants’ physiological or subjective arousal levels, nor participants’ opinions of the musical stimuli in terms of liking, familiarity, fit or its ability to aid concentration. Our findings suggest that there are some circumstances under which the effect of music tempo does not operate and therefore provides an insight into the limits of music tempo as an explanation for music effects on behaviour. This study has implications for the way that musical characteristics are operationalised in future research into music’s effects on behaviour.
Hazardously Drinking Jailed Women: Post-Release Perceived Needs and Risk of Reincarceration
Authors: Schonbrun Yael Chatav , Johnson Jennifer E. , Anderson Bradley J. , Caviness Celeste , Stein Michael D.
Published: February 2016

Women who drink hazardously face a high risk for re-arrest and reincarceration when they return to their communities after a jail stay. This study is the first to examine the associations between women’s own reports of basic needs 1 month after jail release, and reincarceration (defined as spending at least one night in jail) during the next 5 months among unsentenced, female pretrial jail detainees who drink hazardously. Perceived needs for housing (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.63; p < .01), substance treatment services (AOR = 2.65; p < .01), assistance/benefits (AOR = 2.37; p < .05), and mental health counseling (AOR = 2.07; p < .05) at 1 month after jail release were associated with reincarceration during the next 5 months for the 165 hazardously drinking jailed women in this study. These findings demonstrate that self-reported needs during the high-risk period immediately following jail release are associated with heightened odds of reincarceration among hazardously drinking jailed women.
Intersectionality in Quantitative Psychological Research
Authors: Else-Quest Nicole M. , Hyde Janet Shibley
Published: February 2016

Intersectionality has become something of a buzzword in psychology and is well-known in feminist writings throughout the social sciences. Across diverse definitions of intersectionality, we find three common assumptions: (1) There is a recognition that all people are characterized simultaneously by multiple social categories and that these categories are interconnected or intertwined. (2) Embedded within each of these categories is a dimension of inequality or power. (3) These categories are properties of the individual as well as characteristics of the social context inhabited by those individuals; as such, categories and their significance may be fluid and dynamic. Understanding intersectionality as an approach and critical theory, rather than as a falsifiable theory, we consider its potential within research using quantitative methods. We discuss positivism, social constructionism, and standpoint epistemology in order to examine the implications of these epistemologies for research methods and to explore how compatible an intersectional approach may be with each. With an eye toward expanding the incorporation of intersectional approaches in the psychology of women, we discuss both the challenges and the potential of combining quantitative methods and intersectionality. We contend that quantitative methods can be used within an intersectional approach and that doing so will expand and develop the study of intersectionality, insofar as more research tools will be available to intersectionality researchers. We also contend that quantitative researchers should incorporate an intersectional approach into their work and that doing so will enrich and deepen our understanding of psychological constructs and processes.
Baseline Time to Stabilization Identifies Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture Risk in Collegiate Athletes
Authors: DuPrey Kevin M. , Liu Kathy , Cronholm Peter F. , Reisman Andrew S. , Collina Steven J. , Webner David , Kaminski Thomas W.
Published: February 2016

Background:

There is a need for successful screening methods to identify athletes at increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Previous research showed that collegiate athletes with ACL tears demonstrated slower time to stabilization during jump landing after reconstruction.

Hypothesis:

Collegiate athletes with baseline deficiencies in time to stabilization are at increased risk of subsequent ACL rupture.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A total of 278 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletes (166 men, 112 women; mean age, 18.5 years; height, 178.8 cm; mass, 79.9 kg) in the high-risk sports of men’s football; women’s volleyball and field hockey; and men’s and women’s lacrosse, basketball, and soccer were measured to obtain baseline time to stabilization for backward, forward, medial, and lateral single-legged jump landing tasks. Athletes were followed for ACL rupture over a 4-year period. Independent t tests were used to evaluate differences in time to stabilization for each jump landing task between athletes with subsequent ACL rupture and uninjured athletes. Logistic regression models were used to assess time to stabilization as a predictor for ACL rupture.

Results:

Nine athletes sustained noncontact ACL ruptures (5 men, 4 women). These 9 athletes took significantly longer to stabilize compared with uninjured athletes during baseline backward jump landing (1.58 ± 0.39 and 1.09 ± 0.52 seconds, respectively; P = .0052). The odds of ACL rupture increased 3-fold (odds ratio, 2.95; 95% CI, 1.28-6.77) for every second increase in backward time to stabilization observed between injured and uninjured athletes.

Conclusion:

Collegiate athletes with slower baseline backward time to stabilization were at increased risk of ACL rupture.
Epidemiology of Injuries in United States High School Track and Field
Authors: Pierpoint Lauren A. , Williams Claire M. , Fields Sarah K. , Comstock R. Dawn
Published: February 2016

Background:

Track and field is one of the most popular high school sports among boys and girls, but epidemiological research on the sport and its individual events has been limited.

Purpose:

To describe injury rates and patterns in boys’ and girls’ high school track and field.

Study Design:

Descriptive epidemiology study.

Methods:

A retrospective epidemiological analysis of injury and exposure data from a longitudinal national high school sports injury surveillance system was conducted.

Results:

From 2008-2009 through 2013-2014, 2485 track and field injuries occurred during 2,962,308 athlete exposures (0.84 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures). Injury rates were higher in competition versus practice for both sexes. Girls had higher injury rates than boys overall (rate ratio, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.27-1.48) and in practice (rate ratio, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.46-1.76), but competition injury rates did not differ. Overuse/chronic injuries accounted for 27.5% and 36.2% of boys’ and girls’ track and field injuries, respectively. The majority of injuries were to the lower extremity. Sprints, distance running, and jumps accounted for over 65% of all track injuries. Boys sustained a greater proportion of injuries in relay events (injury proportion ratio, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.69-2.36) but fewer in hurdle events (injury proportion ratio, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.23-0.78).

Conclusion:

Injury rates varied by event, sex, and competition versus practice exposure. To increase effectiveness, targeted strategies for injury prevention should be driven by an understanding of such differences. Because many track and field injuries are overuse/chronic across sexes and for both competitions and practices, coaches and athletic trainers should be adept at recognizing early injury symptoms, intervene to treat minor injuries in order to prevent severe injuries, and ensure the prompt diagnosis and management of all injuries.
Self-efficacy and Academic Achievement
Authors: Merolla David M.
Published: February 2016

This paper investigates how neighborhood cultural context shapes academic achievement. Drawing on contemporary conceptualization of culture and recent evidence of the importance of neighborhood cultural context, I hypothesize that students from disadvantaged neighborhoods will display more cultural heterogeneity, or variability in cultural orientations, operationalized here as self-efficacy. In addition, I hypothesize that neighborhood cultural heterogeneity will have negative effects on academic achievement, particularly for those students with high individual self-efficacy. Results from multilevel models using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) support my hypotheses. Results indicate that students exposed to greater cultural heterogeneity are less able to translate high self-efficacy into better achievement, and suggest that exposure to increased cultural heterogeneity is one reason why students residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods underperform in education.
Skills Mismatch? Military Service, Combat Occupations, and Civilian Earnings
Authors: MacLean Alair
Published: February 2016

Research has evaluated the impact of military service on socioeconomic outcomes, but little research has assessed the association between such outcomes and military occupations. The following article examines this relationship by analyzing the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979. It evaluates whether military occupations produce associations that are consistent with hypotheses based on theories of skills mismatch, selection, or turning points. Contrary to expectations, veterans of combat occupations did not have different earnings from those of other occupations, which suggests that any apparent effects of combat exposure reflect neither skills mismatch nor selection into these roles. Yet veterans earned less than nonveterans at the same years of combined military and civilian experience, regardless of occupation. These findings indicate that employers did not value time in the military as much as time in the civilian labor market.
The Inevitability of “Standard” English
Authors: Davila Bethany
Published: February 2016

Although standard language ideologies have been well researched and theorized, the practices that lead to the reproduction and enactment of these ideologies deserve attention. Specifically, there remains a need to study language that both reveals reliance on standard language ideologies and perpetuates these ideologies within the field of writing studies, undermining the field’s efforts to challenge standard English’s ongoing privileged position. This article examines the role of language in perpetuating perceptions of standard English as linguistically neutral regardless of personal or field-wide views about linguistic equality and the value of linguistic diversity. Specifically, I describe the discursive practices of standard language ideologies—what I term standard language discourse—that allow for a positioning of standard English as normal, natural, non-interfering, and widely accessible. Finally, I explore how to resist or challenge this positioning.
Integrating Global Content Into Special Education Teacher Preparation Programs
Authors: Xin Joy F. , Accardo Amy L. , Shuff Midge , Cormier Mary , Doorman Diane
Published: February 2016

Globalization affects many aspects of our lives in the 21st century and requires us to adopt an international perspective. For this study, global content was integrated into one course of an undergraduate special education teacher education program. A total of 118 teacher candidates were enrolled in the course over two semesters. A pre–post test design was used with the comparison group following the traditional course syllabus and the intervention group following an enhanced syllabus that included enriched global content delivered via course instruction and class discussions. Teacher candidates’ perceptions of their global competence were compared using a survey. In addition, global learning outcomes were assessed using a rubric to evaluate a lesson plan assignment. Results demonstrated that the candidates in the intervention group scored significantly higher than those in the comparison group. The findings were consistent across both semesters. Implications for integrating global content in teacher education programs are discussed.
Special Education Teacher Preparation in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries
Authors: Keller Clayton , Al-Hendawi Maha , Abuelhassan Hadeel
Published: February 2016

The provision of special education for students with disabilities depends upon the availability of well-qualified special educators, which, in turn, depends upon the availability and characteristics of preparation programs. In countries of the world where special education systems are still developing the capacity to provide the education that laws and policies promise, choices made in the design and offering of preparation programs may interact with contextual factors, creating intended and unintended consequences, opportunities, and constraints that affect the countries’ abilities to provide special education. In this study, we investigate this idea by examining special education teacher preparation in the Arab countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Applying Bray and Thomas’s framework for comparative analyses to data collected from 2014 to 2015 for the 32 universities in the region that provide preparation programs, we describe the comprehensiveness of preparation opportunities, analyze program delivery components, and consider the implications of the program choices made on the preparation opportunities and special education services that can be provided in the countries as a result.
Not to Be Considered Harmful
Authors: Sommer Jana , Diedenhofen Birk , Musch Jochen
Published: February 2016

The number of respondents who access web surveys on a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) has been increasing rapidly over the last few years. Compared with desktop computers, mobile devices have smaller screens, different input options, and are used in a larger variety of locations and situations. The suspicion that the quality of data may suffer when online respondents use mobile devices has stimulated a growing body of research, which has mainly focused on paradata and web survey design. To investigate whether the respondents’ device affects the quality of web survey data, we examined the responses of 1,826 mobile-device and desktop participants in a political online survey that asked questions about the 2013 German federal election. To determine the reliability and validity of data submitted via mobile devices, we determined the consistency of the participants’ responses across questions and validated the responses against various internal and external criteria. Replicating previous findings, mobile-device respondents were younger and more likely to be female, and they produced higher dropout rates and longer completion times than desktop respondents. However, data produced by respondents using mobile devices were as consistent, reliable, and valid as data produced by respondents using desktop computers. These findings contradict the notion that mobile-device users compromise the reliability and validity of data collected online and suggest that researchers do not necessarily need to be afraid of the participation of mobile-device respondents in web surveys.
School Segregation and Resegregation in Charlotte and Raleigh, 1989-2010
Authors: Ayscue Jennifer B. , Siegel-Hawley Genevieve , Kucsera John , Woodward Brian
Published: February 2016

Desegregated schools are linked to educational and social advantages whereas myriad harms are connected to segregated schools, yet the emphasis on school desegregation has recently receded in two North Carolina city-suburban school districts historically touted for their far-reaching efforts: Charlotte and Raleigh. In this article, we use cross-case analysis to explore segregation outcomes associated with policy changes by analyzing enrollment and segregation trends from 1989 to 2010 in metro Charlotte and metro Raleigh. Both Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Wake County school systems are experiencing a growing share of intensely segregated schools, decreasing exposure of Black and Latino students to White students, disproportionately large exposure of Black and Latino students to poor students, and an increase in segregated charters. Segregation in the districts surrounding Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Wake County is less extreme. An understanding of how policies have contributed to segregation patterns in both metros informs future education reform efforts.
Individualized Coaching to Improve Teacher Practice Across Grades and Subjects: New Experimental Evidence
Authors: Kraft Matthew A. , Blazar David
Published: February 2016

This article analyzes a coaching model focused on classroom management skills and instructional practices across grade levels and subject areas. We describe the design and implementation of MATCH Teacher Coaching among an initial cohort of 59 teachers working in New Orleans charter schools. We evaluate the effect of the program on teachers’ instructional practices using a block randomized trial and find that coached teachers scored 0.59 standard deviations higher on an index of effective teaching practices comprised of observation scores, principal evaluations, and student surveys. We discuss implementation challenges and make recommendations for researcher–practitioner partnerships to address key remaining questions.
The Politics of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Waivers
Authors: Wrabel Stephani L. , Saultz Andrew , Polikoff Morgan S. , McEachin Andrew , Duque Matthew
Published: February 2016

Executive leadership of the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) initiated a flexibility offering from No Child Left Behind. Our work explores specific design decisions made in these state-specific accountability systems as associated with state political environments, resources, and demographic characteristics. Our analysis, focused on 42 states with approved flexibility waivers, provides some evidence that design decisions are associated with prior education policies, political leanings, and financial resources within each state. Policymakers should also take note, as these results suggest that state political factors may influence how state policymakers will react in future negotiations with the USDOE.
Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Its Determinants Among HIV-Infected Patients in Nigeria
Authors: Odili Valentine Uche , Obieche Anthonia Obumneke , Amibor Kingsley Chiedu
Published: February 2016

Purpose:

The study investigated the level of adherence and factors affecting adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART).

Methods:

The study sample consisted of 300 HIV-infected patients who received ART in the Antiretroviral Clinic of Central Hospital, Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria. Self-reported adherence to ART in the previous 1 month prior to the study as well as determinants of adherence were assessed using a questionnaire.

Results:

The most frequently used ART regimen was zidovudine + lamivudine + nevirapine. On the whole, a total of 33 (11%) respondents missed 3 doses or less in the previous month prior to the survey. There was a statistically significant association between adherence to ART and marital status, source of income, and occupation ( P < .05). The most commonly reported reasons for missed doses were forgetfulness (60.4%), busy daily task (18.3%), and avoiding being seen while taking medications (11%).

Conclusion:

The prevalence of adherence among the participants was high. However, more serious efforts are needed to reduce the number of in-adherent patients. Interventions to improve adherence to ART should address challenges such as forgetfulness among the patients and frequent occurrence of adverse effects and consider specific patient-related factors such as daily tasks.
The Political Divide Over Same-Sex Marriage
Authors: Pinsof David , Haselton Martie
Published: February 2016

Although support for same-sex marriage has grown dramatically over the past decade, public opinion remains markedly divided. Here, we propose that the political divide over same-sex marriage represents a deeper divide between conflicting mating strategies. Specifically, we propose that opposition to same-sex marriage can be explained in terms of (a) individual differences in short-term mating orientation and (b) mental associations between homosexuality and sexual promiscuity. We created a novel Implicit Association Test to measure mental associations between homosexuality and promiscuity. We found that mental associations between homosexuality and promiscuity, at both the implicit and the explicit levels, interacted with short-term mating orientation to predict opposition to same-sex marriage. Our model accounted for 42.3% of the variation in attitudes toward same-sex marriage, and all predictors remained robust when we controlled for potential confounds. Our results reveal the centrality of mating psychology in attitudes toward same-sex marriage.
Gender differences in disease activity and clinical features in newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus patients
Authors: Muñoz-Grajales C , González L A , Alarcón G S , Acosta-Reyes J
Published: February 2016

Objective

The objective of this paper is to compare disease activity and clinical features at diagnosis in male and female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study in which every male patient ( n = 40) was matched with three female patients of the same age (±5 years) and racial/ethnic group; disease activity as per the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and disease manifestations at the time of diagnosis were compared.

Results

Alopecia and anti-Ro antibodies were more frequent in female patients. No statistically significant difference in any other disease characteristics was found. However, male gender was associated with a risk of severe disease activity at the time of diagnosis (as determined by SLEDAI ≥12 score) independent of age, racial/ethnic group, anti-Ro positivity or time to criteria accrual (OR: 3.11 95% CI, 1.09–8.92; p = 0.035).

Conclusion

In newly diagnosed SLE patients, male gender is associated with higher disease activity despite the fact that male and female patients seem to experience similar overall disease manifestations.
Severe vitamin D deficiency increases the risk for moderate to severe disease activity in Chinese patients with SLE
Authors: Gao C-C , Liu S-Y , Wu Z-Z , Li T-F , Gao G-M , Liu Z-S , Zheng Z-H
Published: February 2016

Objective

We aimed to investigate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Chinese lupus patients and to assess the association between vitamin D levels and disease severity.

Methods

Serum levels of 25OHD3 in 121 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 150 healthy controls were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Data regarding demographics and clinical parameters were collected. Disease activity of SLE was evaluated according to the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score and irreversible organ damage by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinic/American College of Rheumatology, SLICC/ACR Damage Index (SDI). The multivariate logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between the degree of vitamin D deficiency and SLEDAI or SDI scores.

Results

The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency (25OHD3 <30 ng/ml) and severe deficiency (25OHD3 <10 ng/ml) in SLE patients was 62.81% and 34.71%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the cut-off point of 25OHD3 concentration was 10 ng/ml where its level was correlated with increased SLEDAI (OR 6.420, p = 0.006), but not with the SDI. In addition, hydroxychloroquine treatment lowered the SLEDAI increased by the severe 25OHD3 deficiency (OR 0.280, p = 0.008). Moreover, long disease duration (OR 1.014, p = 0.008) predicted moderate to severe organ damage.

Conclusions

Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in patients with SLE. Severe deficiency increases the risk for moderate to severe disease activity, but not for organ damage.
Food Security and Livelihood in Coastal Area under Increased Salinity and Frequent Tidal Surge
Authors: Shams Shahriar , Shohel M. Mahruf C.
Published: February 2016

Food availability is a crucial dimension of food security in an agrarian society. It is largely realized through own food production of a specific society. Seasonality plays an important role in food security. This article analyzes the existing threat to food security and livelihood in coastal areas of developing countries, particularly in Bangladesh, with a focus on climate change and seasonality. There is persistent food shortage during the sowing season and the pre-harvest period. Food deficit remains high during mid-August to end of October (68–95 per cent) while it is the lowest in December (21 per cent). During the pre-harvest period, farmers have to invest a lot of money at a time though they cannot afford it. Evidence suggests that food loans are common among the poor or small farmers during the food deficit period or in the event of flood. Over 78 per cent of the respondents had taken loans from microfinance institutions and local individual moneylenders. Problem remains as salinity and overfishing has drastically depleted open-water fisheries. Reviving livelihoods still remain a challenge for the vulnerable households especially in areas where agricultural diversity is very limited. Therefore, alternative livelihoods initiatives such as homestead or community-based cage fishing, cash grant and training on non-farm activities of women and men, generating employment through public work programmes need to be in place to ensure food security and livelihood of vulnerable people living in coastal areas.
Gendered Exclusions in the Work Spaces of Peri-urban Areas in a Neoliberal Environment
Authors: Sen Sucharita
Published: February 2016

The peri-urban areas of large metropolises have, in recent years, become favoured sites for private investments inflows and are consequently experiencing rapid land transfers from agriculture to the non-agricultural sector. There have been concerns that such land transfers have not yielded gainful employment uniformly for those facing livelihood displacements. The overarching question that this article addresses is that, given the larger contexts of deceleration of women’s work participation rates in the country and the transient nature of the peri-urban spaces, does the urban-centric growth process in the peri-urban areas offer women with better opportunities emerging out of the process of urbanization, or does it expose them to new vulnerabilities not observed in other regions? The article, by and large, confirms the latter hypothesis and concludes that in spite of evidences of economic spillover effects from the urban core to these spaces, the benefits get distributed unevenly in terms of employment, particularly when seen through a gendered lens.
Chennai’s Peri-urban
Authors: Gajendran V.
Published: February 2016

Peri-urban areas such as those of Chennai, once characterized as rural, have transformed into places of luxurious living and globally invested special economic zones (SEZs). This industrial region includes Tamil Nadu’s State Industrial Promotion Corporation (SIPCOT) SEZs, which house global firms. Such investments have spurred publicly funded mega infrastructure projects such as expressways connecting to existing and new ports, all facilitated by land acquisition for ‘public purpose’. An important dynamic relates to the variety of players in the residential real estate market—ranging from low-income workers to mid-level executives. This peri-urban region’s connection to Chennai’s city centre happens not just via these globally oriented investments but also when natural resources, mainly water, are exploited for urban needs—supplied to Chennai city and also particular locations in its peri-urban region. Other locations in these peri-urban areas have transformed into dumping yards for Chennai’s wastes. Such environmental degradation shows how peri-urban areas are subjected to multiple processes and their dynamics cannot be captured through a single phenomenon. To theorize this situation, this work explores circuits of capital through ethnographic fieldwork. It argues that peri-urban areas of Asian metro cities like Chennai are sites of accumulation of capital whose exploitation for urban need extends to environmental degradation in complex ways. Such a joint conceptualization of environment and urbanization in urban peripheries is witnessed in other centres of the global North and South such as in Mexico City and Ho Chi Minh City, and within Indian cities as well. This points to a wider applicability of the concepts explored here.
A Proof-of-Concept Study of Game-Based Learning in Higher Education
Authors: Crocco Francesco , Offenholley Kathleen , Hernandez Carlos
Published: February 2016

Background. Much literature has theorized on the potential educational benefits offered by game-based learning (GBL). However, recent meta-data analyses of studies conducted on the efficacy of GBL offer mixed results. Furthermore, many of the studies available rely more on close reading, inference, small sample sizes, and qualitative responses than on quantitative, data-driven analyses.

Aim. This article describes a proof-of-concept study designed to assess the effects of GBL on enjoyment, engagement, and learning in higher education using a large sample size and quantitative measures.

Method. The study uses a large data set (n = 440) involving English, Math and Science undergraduate courses. For the first semester, faculty participants were trained in how to implement game-based pedagogy and created analog game-based lessons. In the following semester, each professor taught one section of a course using games and another section of the same course without games. Students in the game-based and control groups were given attitude surveys about the subject at the beginning of the semester, a post-lesson survey after the game or regular lesson, and a post-lesson quiz with separate questions to assess surface learning and deep learning.

Results. Enjoyment correlated with improvements in deep learning in both the game and non-game classes. Games increased reported enjoyment levels, especially in subjects where students reported the greatest anxiety about learning, and this increase in enjoyment correlated positively with improvements in deep learning and higher-order thinking. These results may have particular impact on non-traditional students.

Conclusion. While further investigation is necessary to assess the specific affordances and long-term effects of GBL in higher education, this study offers preliminary support for the claim that GBL can improve deep learning in this setting, by increasing enjoyment.
Position Statement On Climate Change
Authors:   North Carolina Environmental Justice Network
Published: February 2016

The North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN), a coalition of grassroots organizations, developed a statement to explain our environmental justice perspective on climate change to predominantly white environmental groups that seek to partner with us. NCEJN opposes strategies that reduce greenhouse emissions while maintaining or magnifying existing social, economic, and environmental injustices. Wealthy communities that consume a disproportionate share of resources avoid the most severe consequences of their consumption by displacing pollution on communities of color and low income. Therefore, the success of climate change activism depends on building an inclusive movement based on principles of racial, social and economic justice, and self-determination for all people.
Anger Proneness and Prognostic Pessimism in Men With Prostate Cancer
Authors: Gerhart James , Schmidt Eric , Lillis Teresa , O’Mahony Sean , Duberstein Paul , Hoerger Michael
Published: February 2016

Aim:

Anger is a common reaction to cancer diagnosis which may impact patients’ perceptions of their prognosis and goals of care. This study tested the hypothesis that men with prostate cancer who are anger prone are pessimistic regarding their cancer prognosis.

Methods:

Two hundred and twelve men with a history of prostate cancer completed measures of personality traits, their prostate cancer prognosis, and their perception of their doctor’s assessment of their prognosis. Anger proneness was operationally defined by the presence of high levels (ie, above the medians) of neuroticism and disagreeableness.

Results:

One in 4 men with prostate cancer disagreed with their doctor about prognosis. Anger-prone participants endorsed more pessimistic perceptions of prognosis ( P = .041). This significant association was maintained after accounting for potential confounders.

Conclusion:

Greater attention paid to patient anger regulation style and pessimistic perceptions will improve discussions about prognosis and goals of care among men with prostate cancer. Given recent calls for wider distress screening and earlier palliative care intervention in cancer settings, providers have an unprecedented opportunity to assess and respond to anger in the clinical setting. Communication could be improved through empathic statements that convey realistic optimism when appropriate, a commitment to the patient–provider relationship and a willingness to explore and address patient needs.
Nursing Research in Parkinson’s Disease From 2006 to 2015
Authors: Shin Ju Young , Habermann Barbara
Published: February 2016

Most people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) reside in their homes with their family members. Nurses are in a good position to partner with people with PD and their family members for better self-management of the disease and improved quality of life. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the state of the science of nursing research related to PD during the 10-year period, 2006 to 2015. A total of 27 studies were included in this review. Family caregiving was the most studied topic, followed by symptom management/medication adherence, quality of life, end-of-life/palliative care, and functional status/improving function. Recommendations for future studies in PD include (a) developing and testing interventions based on theoretical models in the areas of self-management, symptom management, and function improvement in people with PD and for caregivers caring for people with advanced stage PD, and (b) building programs of research with interprofessional teams.
The Relationship Between Caregivers and Youth in Foster Care: Examining the Relationship for Mediation and Moderation Effects on Youth Behaviors
Authors: Wojciak Armeda Stevenson , Thompson Heather M. , Cooley Morgan E.
Published: February 2016

Youth in foster care often experience many negative outcomes. Fortunately, the empirical examination of potential protective factors is beginning to grow. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence that a warm relationship with one’s caregiver has on the well-established association between trauma symptoms and youth reports of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to explore the impact of this protective factor on this association. A warm relationship with a caregiver was a significant moderator of trauma and youth report of internalizing behaviors. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.