bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Timing-Invariant Imaging of Collateral Vessels in Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Smit Ewoud J. , Vonken Evert-jan , van Seeters Tom , Dankbaar Jan Willem , van der Schaaf Irene C. , Kappelle L. Jaap , van Ginneken Bram , Velthuis Birgitta K. , Prokop Mathias
Published: June 2013

Background and Purpose—

Although collateral vessels have been shown to be an important prognostic factor in acute ischemic stroke, patients with lack of collaterals on standard imaging techniques may still have good clinical outcome. We postulate that in these cases collateral vessels are present though not visible on standard imaging techniques that are based on a single time frame.

Methods—

This study included 40 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke with a large-vessel occlusion. Standard computed tomography angiography (CTA, single time frame) and CT perfusion (multiple time frames) were obtained at admission and timing-invariant (TI)-CTA was created from the CT perfusion data. Clinical outcome data (modified Rankin Scale) were assessed at 3-month follow-up. Four experienced observers independently assessed collateral status twice on both standard CTA and TI-CTA in an independent, blinded, randomized manner. Collateral status was rated as good if ≥50% and poor if <50% of collaterals were present compared with the contralateral hemisphere.

Results—

Collateral status was rated higher on TI-CTA (good in 84%) compared with standard CTA (good in 49%;
P
<0.001). Thirty-one percent of patients with poor collateral status on standard CTA still had good clinical outcome. All of those patients, however, showed good collaterals on TI-CTA. All cases with poor collateral status rated on TI-CTA had poor clinical outcome.

Conclusions—

Collateral vessels may not always be visible on standard single time-frame CTA because of delayed contrast arrival. Future prognostic studies in acute stroke should consider delay-insensitive techniques, such as TI-CTA, instead of standard single time-frame imaging, such as standard CTA.
A “Greek God” in a Japanese New Religion: On Hermes in Kōfuku-no-Kagaku
Authors: Winter Franz
Published: June 2013

Abstract

The article deals with the presence of the “Greek god” Hermes in the Japanese new religious movement Kōfuku-no-Kagaku, which was founded in 1986. The various references are interpreted in light of the history and development of the movement and with regard to its setting in present-day Japanese religious culture. In addition to the importance of several aspects of the reception of the Euro-American New Age tradition and the prophecies of Nostradamus, the fact that the figure of Hermes is presented as the hero of several manga and anime productions of Kōfuku-no-Kagaku is also taken into consideration. This leads to the theoretical question of the importance of the new media of representation of religious content and the effect this approach has on the development of the various groups.
‘Un paradigma in cielo’. Platone politico da Aristotele al Novecento, Mario Vegetti, Rome: Carocci, 2009
Authors: Arruzza Cinzia
Published: June 2013

Abstract

Vegetti’s book tries to decipher and recast the complex history of the interpretation of the political Plato in a compelling historical and philosophical analysis. This review article presents an intellectual profile of Mario Vegetti and a critical engagement with his historical and politico-philosophical approach. It concludes with the suggestion that we should investigate the vicious circle of philosophy and politics in Plato’s Republic in light of Marx’s Theses on Feuerbach.
Imagining the King’s Death: Figurative Treason, Fantasies of Regicide, 1793–1796, John Barrell, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000
Authors: Hayward Danny
Published: June 2013

Abstract

This review essay has two divisions. In its first division it sets out a brief overview of recent Marxist research in the field of ‘Romanticism’, identifying two major lines of inquiry. On the one hand, the attempt to expand our sense of what might constitute a ruthless critique of social relations; on the other, an attempt to develop a materialist account of aesthetic disengagement. This first division concludes with an extended summary of John Barrell’s account of the treason trials of the middle 1790s, as set out in his bookImagining the King’s Death. It argues that Barrell’s book is the most significant recent work belonging to the second line of inquiry. In its second division the review responds to Barrell’s concluding discussion, in which the aesthetic consequences of the treason trials are established by means of a close reading of some of the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The division finishes with some more general remarks on the subject of a materialist aesthetics of disengagement.
Sohn-Rethel and the Origin of ‘Real Abstraction’: A Critique of Production or a Critique of Circulation?
Authors: Jappe Anselm
Published: June 2013

Abstract

Alfred Sohn-Rethel did not just elaborate a materialist theory of knowledge, he also introduced the term ‘real abstraction’ into Marxist debate. However, he locates the origin of commodity abstraction solely in the sphere of circulation, conceiving of production itself as a mere metabolism with nature. This conception, in which the critique of capitalism aims exclusively at distribution, and which rejects the Marxian concept of ‘abstract labour’, remains widespread. It is our express intention here to undertake a critique of such a conception for the benefit of a critique of the very mode of capitalist production.
Manifeste pour une philosophie sociale, Franck Fischbach, Paris: La Découverte, 2009
Authors: Toscano Alberto
Published: June 2013

Abstract

In this polemical intervention within the field of French and European social theory, Franck Fischbach proposes to revive and radicalise the tradition of social philosophy. The latter is understood, following Axel Honneth, in terms of the normatively-driven analysis of socio-economic processes that may be characterised as pathologies of the social. Fischbach contrasts the lessons of social philosophy from Rousseau to the Frankfurt School with the recent ascendance to intellectual hegemony of a formalistic, procedural liberalism which is oblivious to social negativity. The review questions the capacity of social philosophy to synthesise stances as politically and methodologically different as those of de Maistre, Nietzsche and Marx, as well as the very pertinence of the appellation ‘philosophy’. Fischbach’s more historically determinate definition of social philosophy as arising out of the critique of Jacobin revolutionary political thought, with its supposed abstraction and voluntarism, fails to contend with the claims of ruptural politics, as well as with those positions that would regard crisis and pathology not just as a menace, but also as an opportunity for liberation. In the end, in spite of its able historical and conceptual mapping, and its commendable demand for totalising critique, Fischbach fails to persuade in his claim that social philosophy is the name for emancipatory thought in the present.
Census and Censure: Sacred Threshing Floors and Counting Taboos in 2 Samuel 24
Authors: Park Song-Mi Suzie
Published: June 2013

Abstract

Focusing on the mythological features in the story of David’s census and the plague at the threshing floor of Araunah in 2 Samuel 24, this paper argues that David, by conducting a census, transgressed the power of God by mimicking God’s creator/counter role. By examining the mythological aspects of the story, such as cosmogony, threshing floors, counting taboos, sacrifice and temple building, this paper argues that the narrative disparages David’s kingly status in order to assert God’s position as the ultimate king, creator and counter. Moreover, the story points towards the future function of Araunah’s threshing floor as the site of Solomon’s Temple, a place that would symbolize the continual presence, power and rule of the Israelite deity.
Nomenclatural changes for the genus name Perinetia, with a new replacement name for Perinetia Barnard, 1959 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea: Philosciidae)
Authors: XING JI-CHUN , CHEN XIANG-SHENG
Published: June 2013

The name Perinetia was originally introduced by Collenette (1936) for a genus with the type species Perinetia leucocloea Collenette, 1936 in Lepidoptera (Insecta). The name Perinetia was subsequently used by other authors in other animal groups, i.e. Perinetia Seyrig, 1952 (Insecta: Hymenoptera), Perinetia Lallemand and Synave, 1954 (Insecta: Hemiptera), Perinetia Barnard, 1959 (Crustacea: Isopoda), Perinetia Descamps, 1964 (Insecta: Orthoptera), and Perinetia Domergue, 1988 (Reptilia: Lacertilia). According to Article 60 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999), Perinetia Collenette, 1936, has priority, with the other names to be treated as junior homonyms. The nomenclature of four of these junior homonyms: Perinetia Seyrig, 1952, Perinetia Lallemand and Synave, 1954, Perinetia Descamps, 1964, and Perinetia Domergue, 1988, have been resolved by Kocak and Kemal (2008), Demir and Özdikmen (2009), Descamps and Wintrebert (1965), and Domergue and Bour (1989). Recently, Özdikmen (2008) proposed a new generic name Descampsiella to replace Perinetella Descamps and Wintrebert, 1965. Only Perinetia Barnard, 1959 is still used as valid generic name.
A new species of the putatively myrmecophilous genus Plaumanniola Costa Lima, with notes on the systematic position of Plaumanniolini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae)
Authors: JAŁOSZYŃSKI PAWEŁ
Published: June 2013

The enigmatic Neotropical genus Plaumanniola Costa Lima is revised. Plaumanniola sanctaecatharinae is redescribed and P. regina sp. n. is described (both from Brazil). Morphological structures of Plaumanniola are illustrated and the sys-tematic position of the tribe Plaumanniolini is discussed. A previously postulated myrmecophily of this morphologically highly unusual genus is found to be weakly supported by biological observations and should be treated as a supposition that needs further study.
Fissarcturus walteri sp. nov. from the Ross Sea of the Southern Ocean (Isopoda, Antarcturidae)
Authors: BRANDT ANGELIKA
Published: June 2013

During the Victoria-Land Transect project two specimens of a new species, Fissarcturus walteri sp. nov., were found in the Ross Sea along the Victoria Land Coast, Antarctica, during the 19th Italica expedition in February 2004. This is the second species of Fissarcturus from the Ross Sea after F. rossi Brandt, 2007. F. walteri sp. nov. is most similar to Fissar-cturus granulosus (Nordenstam, 1933) from South Georgia but can be distinguished by the blunt short, anteriorly directed supraocular spines and elevations and some other characters as described herewith.
A new leafhopper genus and two new species of the tribe Scaphytopiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from China
Authors: DUAN YANI , ZHANG YALIN
Published: June 2013

New leafhopper taxa in the deltocephaline tribe Scaphytopiini Oman are described: Xenovarta lui sp. n., and a new genus and species Aparaphysis lushuiiensis, gen. n., sp. n. from China. Detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations of the new genus and species are given. A checklist to genera of Scaphytopiini is provided.
New Phlugidia species (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae, Phlugidini) from the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania, Africa
Authors: HEMP CLAUDIA
Published: June 2013

Two new species of Phlugidia (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae) are described from the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. P. planicercus Hemp n. sp. occurs in lowland forest at the foothills of the Uluguru Mountains, while P. ob-tusicercus Hemp n. sp. was collected in the Nguru Mountains. A key to Phlugidia species is provided.
How Individuals Process NWS Weather Warning Messages on Their Cell Phones
Authors: Casteel Mark A. , Downing Joe R.
Published: June 2013

U.S. government officials are focusing their attention on how to deliver timely and effective warning information to the public, especially given the devastating weather-related events that have occurred in recent years. With the increase of cell phones (and in particular, web-capable smartphones), weather warnings sent through various cellular technologies represent one way for officials to quickly notify an increasingly mobile public. Cellular technology innovations also make it possible for officials to broadcast information-rich media like graphics to cell phones. Whether warning messages must include such “rich” media to be effective remains an open question. The current study investigates the effectiveness of National Weather Service (NWS) warning messages sent either in plain text or in text that includes a radar image of the storm. The research protocol was modeled after the interactive National Weather Service (iNWS) messaging service currently available to NWS core partners. In the study, participants read full-text NWS warnings of tornadoes or flash floods that either did or did not include a radar image of the storm. The researchers timed participants' ability to decide if a critical town was in the warning area, and then probed their understanding of the message content. Results show that participants' decision times to the town question did not differ between the graphic and no-graphic conditions. None of the other message content measures differed as a function of message condition. The results have potential implications for the federal government's new Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system, which, as yet, is limited to text-only warnings.
Sustaining Gendered Practices? Power, Parties, and Elite Political Networks in Argentina
Authors: Franceschet Susan , Piscopo Jennifer M.
Published: June 2013

This article investigates whether and how gender shapes access to elite political networks, using the case of Argentina, the first country in the world to adopt a national-level quota law in 1991. Quotas have significantly improved women’s access to elected office, without altering either the gendered hierarchies or gendered power networks that govern political advancement. We find that while men and women elected to the national congress have considerable political experience, men are more likely to have held executive office, particularly posts that provide access to resources that sustain clientelism. We further find that female legislators are less likely to be married and have children than male legislators, indicating that women’s domestic responsibilities circumscribe their political careers.
Perfect Timing
Authors: Werneke Julia , Kleen Andro , Vollrath Mark
Published: June 2013

Objective:

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of different driving scenarios (urban, rural, highway) on the timing required by drivers from a two-stage warning system, based on car-to-car communication.

Background:

Car-to-car communication systems are designed to inform drivers of potential hazards at an early stage, before they are visible to them. Here, questions arise as to how drivers acknowledge early warnings and when they should be informed (first stage) and warned (second stage). Hence, optimum timing for presenting the information was tested.

Method:

A psychophysical method was used to establish the optimum timing in three driving scenarios at different speed limits (urban: 50 km/h, rural: 100 km/h, highway: 130 km/h). A total of 24 participants (11 female, 13 male; M = 29.1 years, SD = 11.6 years) participated in the study.

Results:

The results showed that the optimum timing did not differ among the three scenarios. The first and second stages should ultimately be presented at different timings at each speed limit (first stage: 26.5 s, second stage: 12.1 s before a potential hazard).

Conclusion:

The results showed that well-selected timing for activating information and warning is crucial for the acceptance of these systems. Appropriate timing for presenting the information and warning can be derived for these systems.

Application:

The findings will be integrated in further development of assistance systems based on car-to-x technology within the Car2X-Safety project of the Niedersächsisches Forschungszentrum Fahrzeugtechnik in Germany. This study was also supported by Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.
Identification of the Human Factors Contributing to Maintenance Failures in a Petroleum Operation
Authors: Antonovsky Ari , Pollock Clare , Straker Leon
Published: June 2013

Objective:

This research aimed to identify the most frequently occurring human factors contributing to maintenance-related failures within a petroleum industry organization. Commonality between failures will assist in understanding reliability in maintenance processes, thereby preventing accidents in high-hazard domains.

Background:

Methods exist for understanding the human factors contributing to accidents. Their application in a maintenance context mainly has been advanced in aviation and nuclear power. Maintenance in the petroleum industry provides a different context for investigating the role that human factors play in influencing outcomes. It is therefore worth investigating the contributing human factors to improve our understanding of both human factors in reliability and the factors specific to this domain.

Method:

Detailed analyses were conducted of maintenance-related failures ( N = 38) in a petroleum company using structured interviews with maintenance technicians. The interview structure was based on the Human Factor Investigation Tool (HFIT), which in turn was based on Rasmussen’s model of human malfunction.

Results:

A mean of 9.5 factors per incident was identified across the cases investigated. The three most frequent human factors contributing to the maintenance failures were found to be assumption (79% of cases), design and maintenance (71%), and communication (66%).

Conclusion:

HFIT proved to be a useful instrument for identifying the pattern of human factors that recurred most frequently in maintenance-related failures.

Application:

The high frequency of failures attributed to assumptions and communication demonstrated the importance of problem-solving abilities and organizational communication in a domain where maintenance personnel have a high degree of autonomy and a wide geographical distribution.
Towards a treatment model for family therapy for schizophrenia in an urban African setting: Results from a qualitative study
Authors: Asmal Laila , Mall Sumaya , Emsley Robin , Chiliza Bonginkosi , Swartz Leslie
Published: June 2013

Background:

Family interventional programmes are effective adjuncts to pharmacotherapy in patients with schizophrenia. Modification in content of such programmes in response to local challenges is considered important, but has not been fully explored in Africa.

Aims:

To assess the feasibility and acceptability of an interventional family study for people with schizophrenia and their families in a socially deprived urban community in South Africa and to explore the contextual factors that could influence implementation of the intervention.

Method:

A psychiatric nurse facilitated semi-structured interviews with four multi-family groups, each comprising adult outpatients with schizophrenia and their caregivers. Six sessions were held per group. Thematic analysis was applied.

Results:

Three themes emerged: stigma and abuse; substance abuse comorbidity and caregiver burden of multiple stressors. Many of these stressors relate to the challenges of an impoverished urban environment.

Conclusions:

Multi-family groups with a psycho-educational and behaviour modification frame are acceptable. Negative symptoms are seen as protective in areas of community violence. Modification of traditional models of family therapy to include factors related to poverty, violence, caregiver burden, stigma and limited health care access should be considered in this setting.
Mechanical, thermal and water absorption behavior of hollow epoxy particle–filled polyester composites
Authors: Low LF , Bakar A Abu
Published: June 2013

A water-based emulsion method was used in this study to produce hollow epoxy particles. The hollow epoxy particles were then chemically treated with hydrochloric acid solution to eliminate the excessive calcium carbonate on the surface of the hollow epoxy particles. The hydrochloric acid–treated hollow epoxy particles were added to the polyester matrix at different loading values (0–9 wt%). The addition of 5 wt% hollow epoxy particles to the polyester matrix optimized the mechanical properties (i.e., tensile strength, tensile modulus and flexural strength) of hollow epoxy particle–filled polyester composites. The interlocking of the polyester matrix into the pore regions of the hollow epoxy particles strengthened the polyester composites. The addition of hollow epoxy particles to the polyester matrix increased the thermal stability, storage modulus and the glass transition temperature of the polyester composite. The water absorption and diffusion coefficient of the polyester composite were also increased with the increase of the hollow epoxy particle loading.
An approach for nonlinear modeling of polymer matrix composites
Authors: Santhosh Unni , Ahmad Jalees
Published: June 2013

In the present work, a mechanistic modeling approach is pursued for material characterization and for modeling inelastic deformation of polymer matrix composite components. The model attempts to capture the dominant micromechanical deformation mechanisms in laminated composites caused by matrix inelasticity at elevated temperatures. Given material characteristics of the constituent materials, the model can be used in predicting stress, time and temperature-dependent response of a composite under a broad range of thermal and mechanical load conditions. This article describes the modeling approach and examples of its use in a finite element analysis framework. Examples include analyses of simple test specimen coupons, stress concentration at holes and a structural element configuration of a polymer matrix composite. In each case, the model predictions are compared with the experimental measurements.
A material selection method for a hybrid box-type bodyshell with cut-outs using an equivalent bodyshell model without cut-outs
Authors: Cho Jeonggil , Koo Jeongseo , Jung Hyunseung
Published: June 2013

In this article, we suggest a theoretical weight-reduction method to partially substitute an alternative light-weight material for a material in a box-type bodyshell with cut-outs using a material selection method. The box-type bodyshell with cut-outs was simplified as an equivalent box-type bodyshell model without cut-outs, which is denoted as an equivalent bodyshell model and has the same vertical stiffness as the case with cut-outs. The thicknesses of the roof and the walls of the equivalent bodyshell model were then determined such that the deflection of the equivalent bodyshell model was equal to the sum of the theoretical deflections of each box-type bodyshell section with cut-outs under a distributed vertical load condition. Next, the material selection method for weight-reduction design was applied to the equivalent bodyshell model to derive the hybrid-type equivalent bodyshell model. Finally, a weight-reduction design of the box-type hybrid bodyshell with cut-outs was derived from the hybrid-type equivalent bodyshell model. To demonstrate this method, we derived a weight-reduction design of the under-frame in the box-type hybrid bodyshell with cut-outs and then compared the finite element simulation results of the derived weight-reduction design with the suggested theoretical results. The comparisons yielded good correlations. The proposed method was useful to reduce the weight of a hybrid bodyshell with cut-outs by changing materials.
Measures Matter
Authors: Demes Kali A. , Geeraert Nicolas
Published: June 2013

Building upon existing measures, four new brief acculturation scales are presented, measuring sociocultural adaptation, psychological adaptation, perceived cultural distance, and acculturation orientation. Following good scale reliability in initial samples, the English scales were translated into nine different languages (Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, and Turkish). The translated scales were administered to a large sample of sojourners ( N = 1,929), demonstrating good reliability and adequate structural equivalence across languages. In line with existing theory, sociocultural adaptation and psychological adaptation were positively correlated, and showed a negative association with perceived cultural distance. General measures of well-being were correlated with adaptation and distance, with better adaptation relating to higher well-being, and more distance relating to lower well-being. Acculturation orientation toward the home and host culture were measured separately and a weak negative correlation was found between the two, supporting their independence. Arguing against dichotomization, these subscales were analyzed as continuous variables. Regression analysis showed sojourners to be better adapted, if they were oriented more toward the host culture and less toward the home culture. These new scales are proposed as alternatives to existing measures.
The Inhibiting Function of Self-Control and Social Control on Alcohol Consumption
Authors: Gerich Joachim
Published: June 2013

Research on substance use, health-, and risk-seeking behavior has focused on various control mechanisms, which are either embedded in the person (self-control) or in the social environment (social control), that prevent individuals from engaging in unhealthy behavior. The present article examines the role of both types of control with respect to alcohol consumption. Whereas most previous research into the interdependence of the two control types has focused on indirect concepts of social control, the present study targets direct social control exerted through social interaction with network persons. The study’s findings indicate that both control types have a mutually independent influence as well as an interdependent influence on drinking behavior. The results show that the effect of one control instance is attenuated when the control level of the other instance is high. The results are discussed with respect to the life-course interdependence model, the cumulative control model, and action-theoretical perspectives of health-related social interventions.
Single and multiple liver abscesses in adults in Delhi are amoebic in origin: a clinical and microbiological study
Authors: Tayal Anshula , Lal Pawanindra , Uppal Beena
Published: June 2013

Single and multiple liver abscesses in Delhi are predominantly amoebic and must be distinguished from pyogenic abscesses which frequently require drainage. Mixed abscesses are larger, harbouring Gram negative rods. Multiple abscesses are not always pyogenic and presence of bacteria does not imply a primary pyogenic source.
The diagnosis of uterine cervical polyps in a low resource setting: the positive predictive value of clinical judgment – a series of 192 cases at the Yaoundé Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital, Cameroon
Authors: Foumane Pascal , Sando Zacharie , Dohbit Julius Sama , Bilo’o Lydienne Lesly , Mboudou Emile Telesphore , Oyono Jean Louis Essame
Published: June 2013

As far as we know, the accuracy of clinical judgment in diagnosing uterine cervical polyps has not been assessed in sub-Saharan Africa. Our objective was to discover the positive predictive value (PPV) of clinical judgment in the diagnosis of cervical polyps. This is a retrospective descriptive study of 192 patients, carried out by the Departments of Pathology and Gynaecology of the Yaoundé Gynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital, Cameroon. The diagnosis of cervical polyp was confirmed by histopathology examination in 169 patients, giving a PPV rate of 88.0%. The PPV of clinical judgment in the diagnosis of cervical polyps is acceptable in our setting but the frequency of premalignant and malignant lesions encountered is too high (10.4%), even in the presence of a confirmed cervical polyp (8.9%). Even in areas where there are limited resources, we recommend a systematic histopathology examination of any clinically suspected cervical polyp.
Edinburgh 1910 and Christian Identity Today: An African Perspective
Authors: Oborji Francis Anekwe
Published: June 2013

Informed by notions of Christendom, the Edinburgh 1910 missionary outlook conceived of Christian faith in territorial terms and fostered an understanding of Christian mission and identity in which the world is “territorially or geographically” divided into the “Christian land” and “mission field.” This missionary vision engendered a unidirectional flow of resources and ideas in which the West was the sender and the non-West the receiver. However, with the recent southward shift of the Christian landscape, each nation sends as well as receives missionaries. Never before has the course of missionary movement been this multidirectional, disparate, and global. But in spite of this new development, the Edinburgh missionary outlook still represents an important lens through which people conceive mission and respond to it. Therefore, this article examines the reflection of African missiologists on the missionary outlook of Edinburgh 1910, and emphasizes the importance of true theological reciprocity and mutuality as a major step towards overcoming the dichotomy between the older and younger churches, between Western Christianity and the Christianity of the southern continents.
Mutuality and Missions: The Western Christian in Global Ministry
Authors: Dean Marcus W.
Published: June 2013

The interaction of Western Christians with the global church commonly occurs through missions. Over the years the model of working with the global church has moved from one that commonly created dependency to partnerships. Adding mutuality, when understood and practiced both biblically and culturally, to the model of the Western Christian in global service can strengthen and move relationships towards the biblical model of an intercultural body of Christ. Mutuality enables all participants to contribute, not only to the task of God’s mission, but also to the spiritual growth of all involved.
Outsourcing and the New Labor Precariousness in Latin America
Authors: Fernández Dídimo Castillo , Sotelo Valencia Adrián
Published: June 2013

The subcontracting and delocalization of productive activities that characterize the global capitalist economy are an attempt to reduce costs and exempt corporations from their responsibilities to labor by delegating production to other companies, regions, and countries and even to the workers themselves. Latin America is a prime destination for this corporate outsourcing. Outsourcing has increased deregulation and labor flexibility and introduced a model of high labor turnover and transience that creates fragmentation and precarious employment in the working class.

La subcontratación y la deslocalización de actividades productivas que caracterizan a la economía capitalista mundial son un intento de reducir costos y eximir a las empresas de sus responsabilidades, delegando los procesos de producción a otras empresas, regiones y países, e incluso los mismos trabajadores. Latinoamérica es un destino principal para la externalización de las empresas. La externalización ha aumentado la desregulación y la flexibilización laboral e introdujo un modelo de rotación de mano de obra y la transitoriedad que crea la creciente fragmentación y el empleo precario entre la clase obrera.
The Ambiguities of Human Rights in Colombia
Authors: Chambers Paul A.
Published: June 2013

The inherent ambiguities of human rights language and activism in the context of Colombia’s ongoing armed conflict and the way the discourse has been instrumentalized and appropriated by all sides in the conflict have contributed to skepticism about human rights that has dangerous implications for constructing a democratic culture consonant with the formal rights protections enshrined in the Constitution. These ambiguities arise from the complex social and political trajectory of human rights activism in the country, ideological pressures, and general philosophical confusions stemming from liberal moral philosophy. The more sociologically oriented moral philosophy of Alasdair MacIntyre provides better resources both for interpreting the problems with human rights activism and ethical discourse in Colombia and for grounding a more cogent ethical response to Colombia’s widely recognized moral crisis.

Las ambigüedades inherentes del lenguaje de los derechos humanos y el activismo en el contexto del actual conflicto armado en Colombia y la forma en que el discurso ha sido instrumentalizado y apropiado por todos los lados en el conflicto han contribuido al escepticismo acerca de los derechos humanos que tiene implicaciones peligrosas para la construcción de una cultura democrática consonante con las protecciones de derechos formales consagradas en la Constitución. Estas ambigüedades surgen de la compleja trayectoria social y política del activismo por los derechos humanos en el país, las presiones ideológicas y confusiones filosóficas generales derivadas de la filosofía moral liberal. La filosofía moral más sociológicamente orientada de Alasdair MacIntyre proporciona mejores recursos, tanto para la interpretación de los problemas con el activismo por los derechos humanos y el discurso ético en Colombia como para fundamentar una respuesta ética más convincente a la crisis moral ampliamente reconocida en Colombia.
Dollars, “Free Trade,” and Migration
Authors: Garni Alisa , Weyher L. Frank
Published: June 2013

Driven by new conditions of desperation and alienation, mass migration in postwar El Salvador has continued unabated. While this migration could be seen as a way of “opting out” of ongoing class struggle, we argue that it instead represents a critical dissipation of class relations and struggle. In the postwar context, the ruling class and the Salvadoran state seek to capitalize on the alienation of their own people and their responses to that alienation—migration and the remittances it generates. The ruling class has ensured its economic domination regardless of who controls the state. Seeking to legitimize and maximize the seizure of citizens’ income as it flows across borders as a matter of “economic” and “development” policy, the ruling class has depleted the productive base through which class struggle would ordinarily occur, creating new forces of alienation in El Salvador and increasing the need for many Salvadorans to migrate.

Impulsada por las nuevas condiciones de desesperación y alienación, la migración masiva en El Salvador posguerra no ha disminuido. Aunque esta migración podría ser vista como una forma de abandonar la lucha de clases en curso, en realidad representa una disipación crítica de las relaciones de clase y de lucha. En el contexto de la posguerra, el Estado salvadoreño busca capitalizar de la alienación de su propio pueblo y sus respuestas a esa alienación—migración y las remesas que genera. La clase dominante ha asegurado su dominio económico independientemente de quién controla el Estado. Tratando de legitimar y maximizar la captura de la renta de los ciudadanos a medida que fluye a través de las fronteras como parte de la política económica y del desarrollo, la clase dominante ha agotado la base productiva a través del cual la lucha de clases que normalmente se produce, creando nuevas fuerzas de alienación en El Salvador y aumentando la necesidad de muchos salvadoreños a emigrar.
An Exploratory Study of Public Service Motivation and the Institutional–Occupational Model of the Military
Authors: Taylor Jami K. , Clerkin Richard M. , Ngaruiya Katherine M. , Velez Anne-Lise Knox
Published: June 2013

This article empirically connects Moskos’ Institutional–Occupational model to the large body of cross-nationally validated research on public service motivation (PSM). We find that in our sample, the PSM construct is positively correlated with institutional motivations that reflect Moskos’ insights. We also find evidence that the four dimensions of PSM (Attraction to Public Participation, Commitment to Public Values, Self-sacrifice, and Compassion) may offer a more nuanced way to assess institutional motivations. Our research suggests that those interested in military recruitment/retention/performance and public administration scholars may have much to learn from each other. We call for further research in this area.
Resilience
Authors: Werther Guntram F. A.
Published: June 2013

As part of a multi-article presentation about national and social resilience to the military practitioner community, the article initially embeds the concept of resilience into a concept of change. From this grounding discussion, the profiling of national/social resilience is presented as a useful part of building an improved intelligence process of holistic change forecasting. Next, as a better way of seeing and evaluating how different nations and societies will uniquely respond to crises, uniquely recover post-crisis and thereafter change into their future, a way of using resilience change profiling to improve intelligence foresight and forecasting is detailed. Also, an argument is presented that during periods of financial stress, such an approach has efficacy, economy-of-force and other comparative advantage benefits to Western military organizations.
Tracks in the Streets
Authors: Schley David
Published: June 2013

This article examines the contested and unprecedented process by which the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad laid tracks through Baltimore’s city streets in the 1830s. Laying tracks in busy thoroughfares raised profound questions about the meaning of urban space and the economic function of the city. Track opponents held that city streets should remain open to free-flowing traffic and condemned railcars for monopolizing public space. Track advocates countered that urban prosperity was rooted in the rapid, efficient movement of goods. This was not a battle of traditionalists versus progressives but a clash between competing visions of urban modernity. Examining these competing urbanisms gives us a window into the spatial dynamics of capitalism and the ways in which industrialization reconfigured local space.
ω‐3 Fatty Acids Prevent Hepatic Steatosis, Independent of PPAR‐α Activity, in a Murine Model of Parenteral Nutrition–Associated Liver Disease
Authors: Prince Esther , Lazare Farrah B. , Treem William R. , Xu Jiliu , Iqbal Jahangir , Pan Xiaoyue , Josekutty Joby , Walsh Meghan , Anderson Virginia , Hussain M. Mahmood , Schwarz Steven M.
Published: June 2013

Objectives: ω‐3 Fatty acids (FAs), natural ligands for the peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor–α (PPAR‐α), attenuate parenteral nutrition–associated liver disease (PNALD). However, the mechanisms underlying the protective role of ω‐3 FAs are still unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ω‐3 FAs on hepatic triglyceride (TG) accumulation in a murine model of PNALD and to investigate the role of PPAR‐α and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) in this experimental setting. Methods: 129S1/SvImJ wild‐type or 129S4/SvJaePparatm/Gonz/J PPAR‐α knockout mice were fed chow and water (controls); oral, fat‐free PN solution only (PN‐O); PN‐O plus intraperitoneal (IP) ω‐6 FA‐predominant supplements (PN–ω‐6); or PN‐O plus IP ω‐3 FA (PN–ω‐3). Control and PN‐O groups received sham IP injections of 0.9% NaCl. Hepatic histology, TG and cholesterol, MTP activity, and PPAR‐α messenger RNA were assessed after 19 days. Results: In all experimental groups, PN feeding increased hepatic TG and MTP activity compared with controls. Both PN‐O and PN–ω‐6 groups accumulated significantly greater amounts of TG when compared with PN–ω‐3 mice. Studies in PPAR‐α null animals showed that PN feeding increases hepatic TG as in wild‐type mice. PPAR‐α null mice in the PN‐O and PN–ω‐6 groups demonstrated variable degrees of hepatic steatosis, whereas no evidence of hepatic fat accumulation was found after 19 days of oral PN plus IP ω‐3 FAs. Conclusions: PN induces TG accumulation (steatosis) in wild‐type and PPAR‐α null mice. In PN‐fed wild‐type and PPAR‐α null mice given IP ω‐3 FAs, reduced hepatic TG accumulation and absent steatosis are found. Prevention of steatosis by ω‐3 FAs results from PPAR‐α–independent pathways.
Dialectic of color-blindness
Authors: Emerson Blake
Published: June 2013

This article draws on the social theory of Theodor W. Adorno in order to critique the discourse of ‘color-blindness’ and articulate an alternative individualist ideal of racial justice. I begin by noting that Adorno’s criticism of law in Negative Dialectics anticipates arguments against color-blindness advanced in critical race theory. I then explicate Adorno’s understanding of law in relation to his broader account of social domination. Race can be situated within this account through the concept of ‘second nature’. The notion of racial second nature elucidates the contradiction within color-blindness between formal equality and substantive inequality. As an alternative to the color-blind norm, I posit Adorno’s utopian ideal of emancipated individuality as an appropriate aspiration for racial justice. This ideal enables the jurisgenerative transformation of liberal rights concepts, which have at once enabled and constrained the struggle for racial equity.
Developmental Screening Referrals
Authors: Jennings Danielle J. , Hanline Mary Frances
Published: June 2013

This study researched the predictive impact of developmental screening results and the effects of child and family characteristics on completion of referrals given for evaluation. Logistical and hierarchical logistic regression analyses were used to determine the significance of 10 independent variables on the predictor variable. The number of concerns was the most significant variable in predicting screening referral outcomes. Health concerns noted in child screening results were highly predictive of having no referral evaluation completed. Social-emotional concerns had a less striking but consistently negative relationship with referral completion. Speech-language delays and developmental concerns were not significant predictors. Being female and White were strong predictors of completed referrals. The findings have implications for the timing of referrals for children’s atypical screening results and underscore the importance of follow-up in developmental screening referrals made for children with multiple areas of concern and for those who have specific health concerns.
Effects of martensite development on lattice strain evolution during the in situ deformation of austenitic stainless steels at cryogenic temperatures
Authors: Ahmed Ismaila I , da Fonseca Joao Q , Sherry Andrew H
Published: June 2013

The effects of martensite development on lattice strain evolution during the in situ compression of austenitic stainless steels, Type 304L, at ambient and cryogenic temperatures were investigated. Engin-X neutron diffractometer was used to study the change in the lattice strain during the uniaxial compression to 10% strain in situ. The report found no evidence of martensite during the compression test at ambient temperature. Similarly, no martensite was observed at cryogenic temperatures up to the applied load of 200 MPa in the elastic region. Martensite was only observed during the plastic deformation at cryogenic temperatures up to the applied strain of 10%. The presence of martensite in the austenitic stainless steels microstructure reinforces the austenite matrix. This was evident from the decrease in the lattice strain as the deformation temperature decreases.
Cognitive Outcomes Following Arterial Ischemic Stroke in Infants and Children
Authors: Hajek Christine A. , Yeates Keith Owen , Anderson Vicki , Mackay Mark , Greenham Mardee , Gomes Alison , Lo Warren
Published: June 2013

This study sought to investigate cognitive outcomes following pediatric arterial ischemic stroke and explore predictors. Participants included 36 children with perinatal or childhood arterial ischemic stroke and a comparison group of 15 children with asthma. Outcomes included cognitive ability, executive functions, and neurological function (Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure). Magnetic resonance imaging measured lesion location and volume. Mean cognitive scores were at the low end of the average range. Children with arterial ischemic stroke performed significantly below normative populations and significantly below the asthma group on inhibitory control (Cohen’s d = .68). Both the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure and lesion volume were negatively correlated with cognitive outcome (Spearman r = –.01 to –.42 Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure; r =–.14 to –.32 Volume). Following arterial ischemic stroke, children performed at the low end of the average range on measures of cognitive functioning. Cognitive outcomes depend on a variety of factors.
Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Children With Dystonia
Authors: Young Scott J. , Bertucco Matteo , Sanger Terence D.
Published: June 2013

Increased motor cortex excitability is a common finding in dystonia, and transcranial direct current stimulation can reduce motor cortex excitability. In an earlier study, we found that cathodal direct-current stimulation decreased motor overflow for some children with dystonia. To investigate this observation further, we performed a sham-controlled, double-blind, crossover study of 14 children with dystonia. We found a significant reduction in overflow following real stimulation, when participants performed the experimental task with the hand contralateral to the cathode. While these results suggest that cathodal stimulation may help some children to reduce involuntary overflow, the size of the effect is small. Further research will need to investigate ways to increase the magnitude of the effect of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation.
The Glass Escalator, Revisited
Authors: Williams Christine L.
Published: June 2013

When women work in male-dominated professions, they encounter a “glass ceiling” that prevents their ascension into the top jobs. Twenty years ago, I introduced the concept of the “glass escalator,” my term for the advantages that men receive in the so-called women’s professions (nursing, teaching, librarianship, and social work), including the assumption that they are better suited than women for leadership positions. In this article, I revisit my original analysis and identify two major limitations of the concept: (1) it fails to adequately address intersectionality; in particular, it fails to theorize race, sexuality, and class; and (2) it was based on the assumptions of traditional work organizations, which are undergoing rapid transformation in our neoliberal era. The glass escalator assumes stable employment, career ladders, and widespread support for public institutions (e.g., schools and libraries)—which no longer characterize the job market today. Drawing on my studies of the oil and gas industry and the retail industry, I argue that new concepts are needed to understand workplace gender inequality in the 21st century.