bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supporting fault-tolerance in a compositional real-time scheduling framework
Authors: Tchamgoue Guy Martin , Seo Junho , Hyun Jongsoo , Kim Kyong Hoon , Jun Yong-Kee
Published: May 2015

Component-based analysis allows a robust time and space decomposition of a complex real-time system into components, which are then recomposed and hierarchically scheduled under potentially different scheduling policies. This mechanism is of great benefit to many critical systems as it enables fault isolation. To provide fault-tolerant scheduling in a compositional real-time scheduling framework, a few works have recently emerged, but remain inefficient in providing fault isolation or in terms of resource utilization. In this paper, we introduced a new interface model that takes into account the fault requirements of a component, and a fault-tolerant resource model that helps the component to effectively respond to each of its child components in presence of a fault. Finally, we analyzed the schedulability of the framework considering the Rate Monotonic scheduling algorithm.
Highlights from ACM SIGSPATIAL China chapter in 2014
Authors: Sun Guangzhong , Yue Yang , Xie Xing
Published: May 2015

In order to promote ACM SIGSPATIAL and corresponding research area in China, and encourage collaboration between SIGSPATIAL researchers in China and researchers worldwide, ACM SIGSPATIAL China chapter was established in October 2009, with the strong support of SIGSPATIAL executive committee. This article describes ACM SIGSPATIAL China Chapter's current status and some activities in the year of 2014.
The Seventh ACM SIGSPATIAL International Workshop on Location-Based Social Networks, Dallas, Texas, USA - November 4, 2014
Authors: Pozdnoukhov Alexei , Xu Sen
Published: May 2015

ACM SIGSPATIAL workshop on Location Based Social Networks 2014 (http://faculty.ce.berkeley.edu/pozdnukhov/lbsn14/index.html) was held in conjunction with the 22nd ACM SIGSPATIAL International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems (SIGSPATIAL 2014) on November 4, 2014 in Dallas, Texas, USA. The objective of this workshop was to provide professionals, researchers, and technologists with a single forum where they can discuss and share the state-of-the-art of LBSN development and applications, present their ideas and contributions, and set future directions in emerging innovative research for location based social networks. This year program was composed of three sessions covering all aspects of LBSNs, with opening invited talks given by Dr. A. Haro (HERE/Nokia), Prof. M. Duckham (Uni Melbourne), Dr. Sen Xu (Twitter).
DASlab
Authors: Idreos Stratos
Published: May 2015

DASlab is a new laboratory at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). The lab was formed in January 2014 when Stratos Idreos joined Harvard SEAS. DASlab curently consists of 3 PhD students, 1 postdoctoral researcher and 9 undergraduate researchers while it is set to double its graduate student population in the next one to two years. The lab is part of a growing community of systems and computer science researchers at Harvard; computer science faculty is scheduled to grow by 50% in the next few year.

The main focus of DASlab is on designing data systems that (a) make it easy to extract knowledge out of increasingly diverse and growing data sets and (b) can stand the test of time.
Serum Thyrotropin Concentrations Are Not Associated with the Ankle-Brachial Index: Results from Three Population-Based Studies
Authors: Ittermann Till , Lorbeer Roberto , Tiller Daniel , Lehmphul Ina , Kluttig Alexander , Felix Stephan B. , Werdan Karl , Greiser Karin Halina , Köhrle Josef , Völzke Henry , Dörr Marcus
Published: May 2015

Background: There is only limited data on the potential association between thyroid dysfunction and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the potential association of thyroid function, as defined by serum concentrations of the clinically used primary thyroid function marker thyrotropin [i.e. thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)] and 3,5-diiodothyronine (3,5-T2), with the ankle-brachial index (ABI) as a marker of PAD. Methods: We used data from 5,818 individuals from three cross-sectional population-based studies conducted in Northeast (SHIP-2 and SHIP-TREND) and Central Germany (CARLA). Measurement of serum TSH concentrations was conducted in one central laboratory for all three studies. In a randomly selected subpopulation of 750 individuals of SHIP-TREND, serum 3,5-T2 concentrations were measured with a recently developed immunoassay. ABI was measured either by a hand-held Doppler ultrasound using the Huntleigh Dopplex D900 or palpatorily by the OMRON HEM-705CP device. Results: Serum TSH concentrations were not significantly associated with ABI values in any of the three studies. Likewise, groups of individuals with a TSH <0.3 mIU/l or with a TSH ≥3.0 mIU/l had no significantly different ABI values in comparison with individuals with a TSH in the reference range. Analyses regarding TSH within the reference range or serum 3,5-T2 concentrations did not reveal consistent significant associations with the ABI. No sex-specific associations were detected. Conclusions: The results of our study do not substantiate evidence for an association between thyroid function and PAD, but further studies are needed to investigate the associations of overt forms of thyroid dysfunction with PAD.
Intragenic Deletion in the LIFR Gene in a Long-Term Survivor with Stüve-Wiedemann Syndrome
Authors: Hatagami Marques Júlia , Lopes Yamamoto Guilherme , de Cássia Testai Larissa , da Costa Pereira Alexandre , Kim Chong Ae , Passos-Bueno Maria R. , Romeo Bertola Débora
Published: May 2015

Stüve-Wiedemann syndrome (SWS, OMIM 601559) is a rare autosomal recessive bent-bone dysplasia, caused by loss-of-function mutations in the leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR) gene, which usually leads to early death. Only few patients with long-term survival have been described in the literature. We report on a 5-year-old boy from a consanguineous marriage with molecular analysis for the LIFR gene. Sanger and next-generation sequencing (NGS) of LIFR were performed. Copy number variation analysis with NGS showed a novel mutation as the cause for the syndrome: an intragenic homozygous deletion in LIFR, involving exons 15-20. Bridging PCR was carried out to confirm the intragenic deletion. This is the first description of a large deletion in LIFR, broadening the spectrum of mutations in SWS. Besides the reported allelic heterogeneity, further studies such as exome sequencing are required to identify a novel gene in order to confirm the locus heterogeneity in SWS.
Are Growing Pains Related to Vitamin D Deficiency? Efficacy of Vitamin D Therapy for Resolution of Symptoms
Authors: Vehapoglu Aysel , Turel Ozden , Turkmen Serdar , Inal Berrin Belcik , Aksoy Turgut , Ozgurhan Gamze , Ersoy Murat
Published: May 2015

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] status of children with growing pains and to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D treatment on the resolution of pain symptoms. Subjects and Methods: One hundred and twenty children with growing pains were included in a prospective cohort study. Serum 25(OH)D and bone mineral levels were measured in all subjects at the time of enrollment. The pain intensity of those with vitamin D deficiency was measured using a pain visual analog scale (VAS). After a single oral dose of vitamin D, the pain intensity was remeasured by means of the VAS at 3 months. The 25(OH)D levels and VAS scores before and after oral vitamin D administration were compared by means of a paired Student's t test. Results: In the 120 children with growing pains, vitamin D insufficiency was noted in 104 (86.6%). Following vitamin D supplementation, the mean 25(OH)D levels increased from 13.4 ± 7.2 to 44.5 ± 16.4 ng/ml, the mean pain VAS score decreased from 6.8 ± 1.9 to 2.9 ± 2.5 cm (a mean reduction of -3.8 ± 2.1, p < 0.001) and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: Supplementation with oral vitamin D resulted in a significant reduction in pain intensity among these children with growing pains who had hypovitaminosis D.
Co-Evolution in Relation to Small Cars and Sustainability in China
Authors: Kolk Ans , Tsang Stephen
Published: May 2015

This article explores how the institutional context, including central and local governments, has co-evolved with business in relation to small cars and sustainability. This issue is very relevant for business and society in view of the environmental implications of the rapidly growing vehicle fleet in China, the economic importance attached to this pillar industry by the government, and citizen interest in owning and driving increasingly larger cars. The interactions between different levels of government, and with business (both domestic and foreign-invested) in countries with a large role for the state is a novel area of study in the business-society area and a complex one given the multitude of objectives and interests involved in industry competitiveness, economic development, energy security, and sustainability. The article shows that the central government has adopted policies to further the production and use of small cars, which it perceives as serving environmental, economic, and social goals. Concurrently, however, many local governments imposed restrictions on small cars and have, implicitly or explicitly, favored larger cars. There seems to be a clear linkage to municipal ownership of those domestic automobile companies which, via joint ventures with foreign firms, focused more on larger cars. By adopting a co-evolutionary approach focused on macro-level interactions, the case helps to shed some more light on concrete sustainability challenges, and broader government–business interactions in a highly institutionalized setting, contributing insights on issues that have remained underexposed in business and society research.
Italia, patria europea delle arti e della musica. Riflessioni sulla politica culturale in campo musicale nella Filosofia della musica di Giuseppe Mazzini
Authors: Zidarič Walter
Published: May 2015

Nel saggio vengono analizzate le profonde implicazioni tra società, politica e musica messe in rilievo da Mazzini, in quel delicato periodo di transizione – tra il precoce auto-pensionamento di Rossini, la morte di Bellini, il soggiorno nella penisola iberica di Mercadante e l’ascesa di Donizetti – che precede l’affermazione di Verdi nel firmamento musicale italiano. Attraverso perspicui esempi drammaturgico-musicali, Mazzini, conoscitore della musica, chitarrista agguerrito nonché frequentatore assiduo dell’opera italiana durante l’esilio inglese, è il primo a riconoscere che la musica e il melodramma possono e devono sostenere la causa dell’Italia. L’opuscolo mazziniano si articola in tre grandi parti e prende avvio dall’analisi della situazione critica della musica e del teatro musicale a lui coevi, per poi sottolineare l’apporto fondamentale di Rossini (benché oramai superato) e concludere, infine, sull’agognata rinascita della musica e del dramma musicale che si colora di accenti europeisti. Il patriottismo di Mazzini sottende l’intero discorso che è volto a delineare una visione di politica culturale chiara. Pur ammirando in certa misura Donizetti, Mazzini non crede in fin dei conti che sarà lui il genio tanto atteso in grado di compiere la riforma musicale; e se loda Meyerbeer, ignora però totalmente, e in maniera sospetta, Verdi.
Understanding Mexico’s Drug Violence
Authors: Shirk David , Wallman Joel
Published: May 2015

A dramatic increase in criminal violence in Mexico since 2007 has resulted in an estimated 60,000–70,000 “additional” homicides, often of an especially brutal form, related to drug trafficking and other organized-crime activities. This violence has been accompanied by a steep increase in rates of kidnapping and extortion and has targeted participants in the narcotics trade as well as government officials, journalists, and civil society activists. Despite the magnitude of the violence and enormous public concern about it, scholarly literature on this topic has been scant. This issue offers some of the most promising analyses conducted thus far on the trends in violence and their causes, focusing largely, though not exclusively, on the role Mexico’s government has played in the business of illegal drugs and the violence that accompanies it. In this introduction, we discuss the challenge of deriving reliable statistics on drug-related violence, its spatial and temporal patterns, prevailing explanations, its relationship to organized crime in general, and differences between this violence and substate political violence.
Determinants of Rural Latino Trust in the Federal Government
Authors: Munier Nathan , Albarracin Julia , Boeckelman Keith
Published: May 2015

Trust in government is essential to democratic practice. This article analyzed the factors shaping trust in the federal government using a survey of 260 Mexican immigrants living in rural Illinois and in-depth interviews with 32 participants. To analyze these data, we drew a distinction between support for the regime (system of government that is relatively stable in a political system) and support for authorities (those who temporarily occupy positions of power) to test whether regime or authorities’ considerations shaped respondents’ political trust. The results showed that both considerations influenced trust in the federal government. We also found that a perception of current leaders as being concerned with issues affecting Latinos and an increased optimism about the economic situation were key determinants in explaining trust in the federal government. Further, our in-depth interviews showed that respondents thought about economic issues, immigration, and overall assessments of the Obama administration when determining their level of trust in the federal government.
Islamophobia, Muslimophobia or racism? Parliamentary discourses on Islam and Muslims in debates on the minaret ban in Switzerland
Authors: Cheng Jennifer E
Published: May 2015

There is currently no clarity on what Islamophobia covers: Does it relate to hostility towards Islam, hostility towards Muslims or racism against Muslims? While some argue that the term Muslimophobia should replace Islamophobia due to the hostility being directed at Muslims as people, rather than Islam the religion, it is not clear whether this is the case in practice. This article examines expressions of Islamophobia and Muslimophobia and their relationship to racism in Swiss parliamentary debates on banning the construction of minarets in Switzerland. It demonstrates that Islamophobia and Muslimophobia are different from each other but mostly occur in tandem. Furthermore, Muslimophobia can be but is not always a form of racism due to the ‘manipulation of culture’ in which proponents of the ban can de-essentialise, as well as essentialise, cultural traits to argue that Muslims can become integrated if they fulfil certain conditions. Such conditions can, however, be easily manipulated to continually exclude undesirable ‘others’. The article contends that the minaret ban initiative relied heavily on the ‘slippery slope’ fallacy to make both Islamophobic and Muslimophobic arguments, that is, accusing Muslims and Islam of transgressions against Swiss society that have not even occurred.
Religion: Respect for One An Other
Authors: Praetorius Ina
Published: May 2015

A middle-aged Swiss friend tells me that, for her, God is ‘a contaminated word, … loaded with the spirit of many hundreds of years and miles of library shelves, a word that has nothing to do with the holistic worldview she embraces today.’1 So, she says, she has simply ‘removed the word from her vocabulary’: It’s out, it’s past, it has become a word that is used by other people only.

The mindset that is expressed in these words is typical for the situation in contemporary Western Europe. Many feel alienated from the notions and lifestyles and have left the institutions – churches, synagogues, mosques – that traditionally represent what we call ‘religion’. Besides, there are, in this part of the world, so many alternatives that allow one to form a meaning of life and provide security, togetherness and entertainment: family brunches on Sunday morning, TV movies, festivals, excursions, concerts, meditation workshops, neopaganist or atheist meetings, political engagements, lonely walks in the woods…
Art and the Politics of the Body
Authors: Clay Megan
Published: May 2015

The female body whether it be child or woman has in the past and in the present struggled for human equality on multiple levels. There have of course been changes but the socio-political boundaries still shift this way and that under the weight of unequal power relations between genders within the ever unfolding fields of patriarchy. Sometimes it seems there are moments of clarity of achieved equality but more often than not the reality is hidden under a pseudo agenda of token offerings. This is a battle that continues within the fields of economics, politics and the language that defines the status quo of the feminine. Feminist liberation theologies as we know begin with the experience of women and as women expand their experience and education through the worlds of politics, economics in academia, the church and other institutions so does the awareness of their subjugation to heteronormative values both past and present. Art has a way of expressing something that the word cannot, this is the language of feeling and emotion. Emotions and feelings have been historically allocated materially to women as a chaotic assemblage that does not fit into the rational world of men. I argue that feminist art describes powerfully the effect patriarchal power has had over female bodies through both personal and collective experiences and that is without doubt a political matter.
Women Eucharist and Politics
Authors: Rafferty Agnes
Published: May 2015

The Liturgy of the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church is the communal re-membering of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as Christ, the powerful symbolic system used in the rite judged capable of facilitating the people present to carry on, as the Body of Christ, the redemptive acts that Jesus embodied. This paper sets out to examine the political character of these Eucharists by considering both the political nature of the beliefs and actions of Jesus, and of the Vatican, the governing body of the Roman Catholic Church comprising of the Pope and the Roman Curia, who claim divine authority to define and regulate the Church’s teaching enacted at the Eucharist. The position of women in relation to the current economic and political situation in the world will provide a base on which to question in particular the gender politics of the governing body of the Church as seen at the heart of their teaching on Eucharist and symbolized in the all-male priesthood.
Educating for ethical leadership through web-based coaching
Authors: Eide Tom , Dulmen Sandra van , Eide Hilde
Published: May 2015

Background:

Ethical leadership is important for developing ethical healthcare practice. However, there is little research-based knowledge on how to stimulate and educate for ethical leadership.

Objectives:

The aim was to develop and investigate the feasibility of a 6-week web-based, ethical leadership educational programme and learn from participants’ experience.

Training programme and research design:

A training programme was developed consisting of (1) a practice part, where the participating middle managers developed and ran an ethics project in their own departments aiming at enhancing the ethical mindfulness of the organizational culture, and (2) a web-based reflection part, including online reflections and coaching while executing the ethics project. Focus group interviews were used to explore the participants’ experiences with and the feasibility of the training.

Participants and research context:

Nine middle managers were recruited from a part-time master’s programme in leadership in Oslo, Norway. The research context was the participating leaders’ work situation during the 6 weeks of training.

Ethical considerations:

Participation was voluntary, data anonymized and the confidentiality of the participating leaders/students and their institutions maintained. No patient or medical information was involved.

Findings:

Eight of the nine recruited leaders completed the programme. They evaluated the training programme as efficient and supportive, with the written, situational feedback/coaching as the most important element, enhancing reflection and motivation, counteracting a feeling of loneliness and promoting the execution of change.

Discussion:

The findings seem consistent with the basic assumptions behind the educational design, based partly on e-health research, feedback studies and organizational ethics methodology, partly on theories on workplace learning, reflection, recognition and motivation.

Conclusion:

The training programme seems feasible. It should be adjusted according to participants’ proposals and tested further in a large-scale study.
Substance use disorders in New Zealand adults with severe mental illness: descriptive study of an acute inpatient population
Authors: Dharmawardene Vajira , Menkes David B
Published: May 2015

Objective:

To elucidate patterns of substance misuse, across diagnoses and demographic variables, in patients with severe mental illness.

Method:

We studied 141 adults admitted to an acute psychiatric unit in Hamilton, New Zealand. Semi-structured interviews, including the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test – Revised (CUDIT-R), were used to assess substance use.

Results:

Seventy-six participants were of European origin (56%), 59 were Maori (42%). Tobacco smoking was noted in 81% overall, with a higher frequency (93%) among Maori. A majority of patients had alcohol use disorder, with greater prevalence in bipolar and schizoaffective disorder compared to schizophrenia. By contrast, cannabis use disorder was strikingly associated with schizophrenia. Younger patients and Maori were disproportionately affected by both alcohol and cannabis use.

Conclusions:

Substance misuse in New Zealand patients with severe mental illness is common, particularly among younger patients and Maori, and differentially distributed across diagnoses.
Acoustical properties of magnetorheological fluids under applied magnetic field
Authors: Baev Aliaksei R , Korobko Evguenia V , Novikova Zoya A
Published: May 2015

This work is devoted to the experimental study of acoustical properties of magnetorheological fluids subjected to magnetic field. Evaluation of the change in velocity of ultrasonic waves and attenuation coefficients in magnetorheological fluids based on synthetic oil and carbonyl iron versus magnitude and angle φ between wave vector and intensity direction of applied magnetic field has been carried out by pulse-phase method at 1.52 and 2.5 MHz. It was found that the anisotropy of attenuation coefficient was ~5–6 dB/cm and the velocity of ultrasonic waves was up to ~1%−2% that is much more than in specimens of colloid solutions—magnetic fluids with the same dispersive phase content.
Considering the cluster generation mechanism of electrorheological fluids due to dielectric polarization
Authors: Akaiwa Michiro
Published: May 2015

The mechanism that generates chains between electrodes in electrorheological fluids is analyzed in terms of dielectric polarization. When an electric field is applied to electrorheological fluids, positive charges exist on the surfaces of suspended particles, aligned in the direction of the electric field, while negative charges exist on their surfaces in the opposite direction. The polarized particles are aligned in parallel with the direction of the electric field. The distance between adjacent particles depends on the value of dielectric mismatch. The interaction force between adjacent particles is given as a function of dielectric mismatch. The number of chains is proportional to the ratio of area of electrode to cross-sectional area of the particle.
Individual- and School-Level Predictors of Student Office Disciplinary Referrals
Authors: Martinez Andrew , McMahon Susan D. , Treger Stan
Published: May 2015

Research has widely documented the over-representation of office disciplinary referrals (ODRs) among specific student groups (e.g., African American, boys). Despite extant research documenting individual-level predictors of ODRs, few studies have accounted for the nested structure of the settings in which these events occur. Guided by critical race theory and social-ecological theory, this study uses multilevel modeling to examine individual- and school-level predictors of student ODRs. Archival data were examined among 1,442 students in a high-poverty urban school district. The majority of students were male (66.4%), African American (56.2%), and in middle school (63.2%). Results revealed that individual-level characteristics significantly predicted student disciplinary referrals even when accounting for school-level variables. Racial/ethnic-minority concentration was positively associated with ODRs for physically aggressive behavior. Finally, results revealed moderation effects, such that schools with lower student–teacher ratios had more ODRs for physically aggressive behavior among students in elementary school grades. Schools with higher student–teacher ratios had more ODRs for insubordination among middle school students. This study illustrates that disproportionality among African American students remains, even when compared with other ethnic-minority groups within a high-poverty urban context, and that school-level factors (e.g., racial/ethnic concentration, student–teacher ratio) are associated with office referral rates. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
α-Fetoprotein-Producing Hepatoid Gastric Adenocarcinoma With Osteoclast-Like Giant Cells and Neuroendocrine Differentiation
Authors: Wincewicz Andrzej , Kowalik Artur , Zięba Sebastian , Lewitowicz Piotr , Góźdź Stanisław , Sulkowski Stanisław
Published: May 2015

Here we present the case of a 73-year-old woman with an ulcerated, advanced, hepatoid, and α-fetoprotein-producing poorly differentiated (G3) primary gastric adenocarcinoma pT3 N3a M1 with multinucleated cells and evident neuroendocrine component. This tumor was consistent with giant cell tumor type gastric carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells (OGCs). The cancer was HER2 and E-cadherin negative, chromogranin A dispersedly and moderately positive, and strongly α-fetoprotein-positive with evident CK AE1/AE3 immunoreactivity, while OGCs expressed CD68. To provide an insight into the molecular background of this peculiar neoplasm, next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed to analyze the 50 most frequently mutated oncogenes and tumor suppressors. We detected mutations in the primary tumor in the following genes: KIT, EGFR, PTEN, ATM, and RB1. In the liver metastasis, we revealed mutations in 3 genes: PIK3CA, KIT, and CDKN2A.
The same procedure as every time? School inspections and school development in Germany
Authors: Dedering Kathrin
Published: May 2015

The article focuses on school inspections as an instrument for school development and aims to clarify how schools cope with the results which are generated by it. It is based on the assumption that the specific situation of a school has an impact on how and in what way the results are received and dealt with in schools. In order to support this argument, this article contains the findings of case studies (based on interviews and surveys) carried out in mainstream schools in Germany. The article provides empirical insight about different ways schools cope with the inspection results, revealing that the extent to which an established organisational structure of development work exists within the schools is particularly important for effectively using the inspection results. This article draws attention to the necessity to adapt the kind of support to the individual schools.
Closer to the (H)edge. Documentaries and the Isle of Man TT: From chronotopes and masturbation to celebrity culture
Authors: Walton David
Published: May 2015

This article opens up a new area for cultural analysis: the cult of the motorcycle rider dedicated to road racing. Special emphasis will be put on the commercially successful documentary made by the Spanish director Richard de Aragues: TT Closer to the Edge. The first part of this article will contextualize road racing and outline the dominant traits of documentaries dedicated to road racing and argue that Aragues’ documentary expands the thematic possibilities of the genre in some interesting directions by exploring the intimate revelations of one of its protagonists which would have been surprising (or unthinkable) in one of these documentaries only a few decades ago. The second part of this article will take up the challenge for cultural studies of attempting to offer an account of how to interpret such innovative changes by drawing on the contextualist approaches of Raymond Williams, Stuart Hall and Laurence Grossberg and other approaches associated with the formal aspects of sports’ documentaries, and critiques of consumer capitalism and celebrity culture. In this way, it will explore shifts in audience sensibilities and show how cultural changes beyond the motorcycle documentary itself can help to make sense of this evolving genre.
The ethics of deportation in liberal democratic states
Authors: Lenard Patti Tamara
Published: May 2015

This article considers two questions: (1) Do democratic states have the right to deport non-citizens present or residing on their territory? (2) And, if so, what principles should guide deportation in democratic states? The overall objective is to offer an account of what deportation should look like in a liberal democratic state. I begin by situating the practice of deportation in larger discussions of the extent of state discretion in controlling both borders and membership; here, I will argue that potential deportees occupy an awkward middle space, i.e. it is not clear whether they should be treated according to the principles that regulate discretion at the border or discretion in admitting migrants to membership. I then consider more deeply whether deportation can be rendered non-arbitrary, or whether it is bound to remain unjustly applied; where it cannot be rendered non-arbitrary, it must be rejected, or so I shall argue. To be non-arbitrary, the practice of deportation must meet three criteria: a publicity criterion, a justification criterion, and a collective interest criterion. In the final section of the article, I disentangle deportation into its component parts – I distinguish just cause for deportation from just action in deportation – and consider how the criteria that stem from a commitment to non-arbitrariness constrain its application to non-citizen residents. The consequence of requiring deportation to be applied, if at all, in a non-arbitrary way is that there will certainly be cases where liberal democracies find themselves unable to deport those who might otherwise be thought eligible for deportation. Ultimately, I conclude that deportation from liberal democratic states can be fair only in a small number of cases.
Severe Impairment Rating Scale
Authors: Yeo Cindy , Lim Wee Shiong , Chan Mark , Ho Xin Qin , Anthony Philomena Vasantha , Han Huey Charn , Chong Mei Sian
Published: May 2015

To investigate the utility of the Severe Impairment Rating Scale (SIRS) as a cognitive assessment tool among nursing home residents with advanced dementia, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 96 residents in 3 nursing homes with Functional Assessment Staging Test (FAST) stage 6a and above. We compared the discriminatory ability of SIRS with the Chinese version of Mini-Mental State Examination, Abbreviated Mental Test, and Clock Drawing Test. Among the cognitive tests, SIRS showed the least “floor” effect and had the best capacity to distinguish very severe (FAST stages 7d-f) dementia (area under the curve 0.80 vs 0.46-0.76 for the other tools). The SIRS had the best correlation with FAST staging ( r = −.59, P < .01) and, unlike the other 3 tools, exhibited only minimal change in correlation when adjusted for education and ethnicity. Our results support the utility of SIRS as a brief cognitive assessment tool for advanced dementia in the nursing home setting.
Blood Pressure and the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Yuan Min , Chen Shen-jian , Li Xue-li , Xu Li-jun
Published: May 2015

Alzheimer disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorder, and the incidence is increasing. Many epidemiologic studies have considered the association between blood pressure and Alzheimer disease, yet the relationship is still controversial. The objective of this study was to validate whether or not blood pressure is indeed associated with AD. We compared different prospective studies and ultimately found that it is also a controversial issue. Large prospective double-blinded and placebo-controlled studies conducted with the use of standardized outcome measures in different levels are necessary to assess the association of blood pressure and Alzheimer disease.
Transformative Learning
Authors: Hassi Marja-Liisa , Laursen Sandra L.
Published: May 2015

This article introduces the concept of personal empowerment as a form of transformative learning. It focuses on commonly ignored but enhancing elements of mathematics learning and argues that crucial personal resources can be essentially promoted by high engagement in mathematical problem solving, inquiry, and collaboration. This personal empowerment is considered in three forms: self-empowerment, cognitive empowerment, and social empowerment. We report results from semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students who participated in college mathematics classes that implemented inquiry-based learning at four research universities. The findings support the idea that learning mathematics in classroom situations that use student activity, deep engagement, and collaboration can be strongly transformative for individual students. Not only do these courses enhance students’ thinking and problem-solving skills but they also significantly promote self-perceptions, agency and self-regulatory activity, and social skills. Positive elements of these classroom practices for students’ personal empowerment and transformative learning are discussed.
“ . . . I Should Maintain a Healthy Life Now and Not Just Live as I Please . . . ”
Authors: Hosegood Victoria , Richter Linda , Clarke Lynda
Published: May 2015

This study examines the social context of men’s health and health behaviors in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, particularly in relationship to fathering and fatherhood. Individual interviews and focus groups were conducted with 51 Zulu-speaking men. Three themes related to men’s health emerged from the analysis of transcripts: (a) the interweaving of health status and health behaviors in descriptions of “good” and “bad” fathers, (b) the dominance of positive accounts of health and health status in men’s own accounts, and (c) fathers’ narratives of transformations and positive reinforcement in health behaviors. The study reveals the pervasiveness of an ideal of healthy fathers, one in which the health of men has practical and symbolic importance not only for men themselves but also for others in the family and community. The study also suggests that men hold in esteem fathers who manage to be involved with their biological children who are not coresident or who are playing a fathering role for nonbiological children (social fathers). In South Africa, men’s health interventions have predominantly focused on issues related to HIV and sexual health. The new insights obtained from the perspective of men indicate that there is likely to be a positive response to health interventions that incorporate acknowledgment of, and support for, men’s aspirations and lived experiences of social and biological fatherhood. Furthermore, the findings indicate the value of data on men’s involvement in families for men’s health research in sub-Saharan Africa.
A brief engagement with some conceptual challenges in the discussion about ‘race’ and racism
Authors: Soudien Crain
Published: May 2015

At issue in this discussion is a question of knowledge and how those who work in education use the knowledge at their disposal in practice. How do they, firstly, work with the almost universal consensus that ‘race’ as a biological phenomenon has no inherent substance but that its equally almost universal social acceptance makes it real? Having come to their conclusions, secondly, how do they work educationally with the complexity of the ideological positions surrounding their knowledge? It is argued, that in these questions a particular kind of challenge for the politics of anti-racism arises. This challenge is deeply educational at its core. It talks to how an individual acts in relation to what he/she knows. Towards an engagement with what such a politics is in this contribution this paper seeks to argue that a concept such as ‘race’, and indeed gender, subsists and relies on presumptive agreements about the meanings – the form and substance – attached to looks. The concept depends on the supposedly obvious, the obviousness of likeness. From this it generates the presumption of relatedness. This paper argues that this logic of the look operates as a ‘trope’ of conscription. In engaging with this trope it is important to be clear about how ‘race’ is used descriptively and in social analysis. Two positions are focused upon in this paper to show how the use of ‘race’ in these descriptions and analyses – the knowledge inherent in them – has important educational implications.
Children as researchers in Nicaragua: Children’s consultancy to transformative research
Authors: Shier Harry
Published: May 2015

Child workers on Nicaragua’s coffee plantations have become researchers, generating knowledge which leads to action to help solve some of the severe social problems that affect the rural communities where they live and work. This article first looks at how child researchers are seen in the existing literature. It then traces the history of the approach used, known as Transformative Research by Children and Adolescents, from its origins in ‘Children’s Consultancy’ in the United Kingdom in the 1990s, through its adaptation to the Nicaraguan context and subsequent metamorphosis into today’s transformative research approach. It discusses the concept of ‘transformation’ in social research, and CESESMA’s alternative ‘four transformations’ framework, with its emphasis on a coherent concept of empowerment. It then identifies four things child researchers need from their adult supporters: appropriate and effective research methodology, skilled and sensitive process facilitation, technical support and a responsible attitude to child protection that recognises but does not exaggerate risks. It concludes by highlighting some challenges to be addressed in further developing and extending the approach.
Improvement of nonsuicidal self-injury following treatment with antipsychotics possessing strong D1 antagonistic activity: evidence from a report of three cases
Authors: Wollweber Bastian , Keck Martin E. , Schmidt Ulrike
Published: May 2015

Introduction:

There is no drug treatment for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), a highly prevalent and burdensome symptom of several psychiatric diseases like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), personality disorders, and major depression (MD).

Methods:

Here, we present a retrospective series of three patients demonstrating a persistent remission in MD-associated NSSI in response to treatment with antipsychotics possessing marked D1 receptor antagonistic activity.

Results:

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the case series presented is only the second clinical paper suggesting a role for D1 antagonists in NSSI drug therapy.

Conclusions:

Together with previously published data from rodent models, the findings suggest a role for D1 antagonists in NSSI drug therapy and hence for the D1 receptor in NSSI pathogenesis. This conclusion is limited by the facts that the patients presented here received polypharmacy and that the D1 receptor antagonistic antipsychotics suggested here as effective ‘anti-auto-aggressants’ do not address D1 receptors only but multiple neurotransmitter receptors/systems.
Self-reported osteoporosis prevention in inhaled corticosteroid users in community pharmacy setting
Authors: Chan Valerie , Cave Andrew J , Banh Hoan Linh
Published: May 2015

Objectives:

The use of inhaled corticosteroids is the standard maintenance therapy in asthma therapy and as adjunct therapy in moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A dose-related increase in fracture risk is associated with inhaled corticosteroid use; there is an inverse relationship between bone mineral density and duration and cumulative dose of inhaled corticosteroid. Adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D are cornerstones of osteoporosis prevention. The objectives are to assess whether the proportion of patients receiving inhaled corticosteroids are taking calcium and vitamin D; the association between long-term inhaled corticosteroid use and abnormal bone mineral density or fractures; and how many qualified patients received bone mineral density scans.

Methods:

Patients who filled a prescription for inhaled corticosteroids at selected community pharmacies across Alberta were recruited for a survey of their osteoporosis prevention activities.

Results:

A total of 256 patients from 12 community pharmacies were included. The average age was 60 ± 17.4 years with 65% female. There were 21%, 51%, and 28% of patients on high, medium, and low dose inhaled corticosteroids, respectively. Only 17% of patients >50 years old received recommended calcium and vitamin D supplementation and 87 (73%) of the qualified patients received bone mineral density scan.

Conclusion:

Osteoporosis prevention in inhaled corticosteroid users is currently poorly addressed. More promotion is needed to raise pharmacist awareness of the risks of inhaled corticosteroids.
Laūq
Authors: Karegar-Borzi Hossein , Salehi Mehdi , Rahimi Roja
Published: May 2015

Laūq is a pharmaceutical dosage form that had been mainly used for the treatment of various respiratory disorders in traditional Persian medicine. It is important from 2 aspects: a dosage form with efficient and optimum delivery of drugs to the respiratory tract and biological effects of its ingredients. Natural medicine in laūq has been demonstrated to act in respiratory disorders by their antitussive, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, spasmolytic, and antibacterial activities. Some of these natural remedies act by most of the mentioned mechanisms such as Cydonia oblonga, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Crocus sativus, Hyssopus officinalis, Foeniculum vulgare, and honey. However, the evidence is limited including Cassia fistula, Papaver somniferum, and Drimia maritima. According to positive pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic aspects of laūqs, they may be considered as efficient dosage forms for delivery of drugs to the respiratory tract. For better compatibility of patients, it could be substituted laūqs with newer drug delivery systems like lozenges.
Interinstitutional Variation in Emerging Adulthood
Authors: Fosse Nathan E. , Toyokawa Teru
Published: May 2015

Research has examined variation in emerging adulthood across demographic groups and across different countries. Yet no research has explored emerging adulthood across students enrolled in different postsecondary schools. We address this gap by examining variation in emerging adulthood by school and by examining whether school selectivity was associated with aspects of emerging adulthood. We used data on enrolled students in the Emerging Adulthood Measured at Multiple Institutions Study survey merged with governmental data on the 10 schools in the sample. To measure school selectivity, we ranked schools by the proportion of applicants rejected admission. Results revealed small, statistically significant variation in emerging adulthood outcomes across schools. Results also revealed that school selectivity was associated with 8 of the 14 emerging adulthood outcomes. In particular, results suggest more research should investigate the negative associations between norm compliance and school selectivity.
Synthesis of Pt3Ni Microspheres with High Performance for Rapid Degradation of Organic Dyes
Authors: Wang Min , Yang Yushi , Long Jia , Mao Zhou , Qiu Tong , Wu Qingzhi , Chen Xiaohui
Published: May 2015

In this study, Pt3Ni microspheres consisted of nanoparticles were synthesized without addition of surfactants via the solvothermal route. The obtained sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Furthermore, the catalytic performance of as-synthesized Pt3Ni microspheres was evaluated on the degradation of different organic dyes (methylene blue, methyl orange, Congo red, and rhodamine B). The results show that different dyes were rapidly decomposed by Pt3Ni microspheres in different pathways. Among different dyes, the formation and further degradation of the intermediates was observed during the degradation of methylene blue and methyl orange, suggesting the indirect degradation process of these dyes. This study provides not only a promising catalyst for the removal of organic contaminants for environment remediation, but also new insights for Pt3Ni alloy as a high-performance catalyst in organic synthesis.
Electrospinning of Grooved Polystyrene Fibers: Effect of Solvent Systems
Authors: Liu Wanjun , Huang Chen , Jin Xiangyu
Published: May 2015

Secondary surface texture is of great significance to morphological variety and further expands the application areas of electrospun nanofibers. This paper presents the possibility of directly electrospinning grooved polystyrene (PS) fibers using both single and binary solvent systems. Solvents were classified as low boiling point solvent (LBPS): dichloromethane (DCM), acetone (ACE), and tetrahydrofuran (THF); high boiling point solvent (HBPS): N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and cyclohexanone (CYCo); and non-solvent (NS): 1-butanol (BuOH). By the systematic selection and combination of these solvents at given parameters, we found that single solvent systems produced non-grooved fibers. LBPS/DMF solvent systems resulted in fibers with different grooved textures, while LBPS/CYCo led to fibers with double grooved texture. Grooved fibers can also be fabricated from LBPS/LBPS, NS/LBPS, and NS/HBPS systems under specific conditions. The results indicated that the difference of evaporation rate (DER) between the two solvents played a key role in the formation of grooved texture. The formation of this unique texture should be attributed to three separate mechanisms, namely void-based elongation, wrinkle-based elongation, and collapsed jet-based elongation. Our findings can serve as guidelines for the preparation of ultrafine fibers with grooved secondary texture.