bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring unexplained variation in acute hospital use by patients enrolled with northern New Zealand general practices
Authors: Sandiford Peter , Zhou Lifeng , Salvetto Micol , Johnson Lannes
Published: November 2018

INTRODUCTION: There is increasing concern worldwide at the steady growth in acute inpatient admissions and emergency department (ED) attendances. AIM: To develop measures of variation in acute hospital use between populations enrolled at different general practices that are independent of the sociodemographic characteristics of those populations. METHODS: Two consecutive years of hospital discharge and ED attendance data were combined with primary health organisation (PHO) registers from 385 practices of over 1.5 million people to develop and test two measures of unplanned hospital use: the standardised acute hospital admission ratio (SAAR) and the standardised ED attendance ratio (SEAR). Disease-specific measures were also produced for inpatient events. RESULTS: The enrolled populations of a high proportion of practices had significantly higher or lower than expected acute use of hospitals and this was consistent over both years studied. Practices whose population made unexpectedly high use of acute hospital care for one condition tended to do so for others. Differences in health needs between practice populations as measured by clinical complexity, comorbidities and length of stay did not explain a significant portion of the overall variation in hospital admissions. The enrolled populations average travelling time to a 24-hour ED accounted for some of the practice variation in unplanned utilisation of hospital services. DISCUSSION: This study confirms that there is considerable unexplained practice variation in acute hospital use. Further development of the SAAR and SEAR measures may be possible to use these to identify modifiable practice-level factors associated with high unplanned hospital use. KEYWORDS: Access to health care; emergency medical services; general practice; health services needs and demand; hospital costs; patient admissions
Change in a childs naevus prompts referral to a dermatology service
Authors: Cheng Harriet , Oakley Amanda , Rademaker Marius
Published: November 2018

INTRODUCTION: Although melanoma is rare in children, parental concern about skin lesions often results in specialist referral and/or excision of benign lesions. AIM: To review dermatology referrals of children with skin lesions to determine reason for referral, macroscopic and dermatoscopic features of referred lesions, diagnosis, management and histology for excised lesions. METHODS: Referral letters, clinical and dermatoscopic images and outcomes were reviewed for skin lesions in children aged 018 years attending a teledermoscopy clinic over a 28-month period. RESULTS: Eighty-nine children with 128 lesions accounted for 9% of all referrals to the teledermoscopy clinic. The mean age of the children was 12 years (range 218 years). A changing mole was the most common reason for referral (35 children; 39%), followed by possible melanoma (19; 21%), and congenital naevus (9; 10%). The majority of lesions were benign melanocytic naevi (112 lesions; 88%). No lesions were diagnosed as melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancer. A history of change was given for 61/112 lesions (54%). Five lesions were excised; histopathological diagnoses were two spindle cell tumours of Reed, two compound naevi and one Spitz naevus. DISCUSSION: Change in a lesion, though a common trigger for referral, is less likely to indicate malignancy in children compared with adults and, as a sole criterion, does not necessitate specialist referral. Teledermoscopy clinics offer high quality macroscopic and dermatoscopic images and can assist in providing reassurance, where appropriate. KEYWORDS: Dermatology; dermoscopy; melanocytic naevi; melanoma
Breast cancer and breast screening: perceptions of Chinese migrant women living in New Zealand
Authors: Zhang Wei , Rose Sally , Foster Alison , Pullon Sue , Lawton Beverley
Published: November 2018

INTRODUCTION: Migrant Chinese constitute a significant and increasing proportion of New Zealand women. They have lower rates of participation in breast cancer screening than other New Zealanders, but reasons for this are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate factors affecting Chinese womens understanding of, and access to, breast health services, to better understand reasons for low participation in screening and their experiences of breast cancer clinic care. METHODS: The participants were 26 Chinese migrant women  19 recruited in the community and seven recruited from 17 eligible women attending a breast clinic between 2008 and 2010 in Wellington, New Zealand. The design was that of a qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews and thematic content analysis. FINDINGS: There were low levels of awareness about the national breast screening programme and limited engagement with preventive primary care services. Concerns about privacy and a range of communication difficulties were identified that related to oral language, lack of written information in Chinese, and limited understanding about Chinese perceptions of ill health and traditional Chinese medicine by New Zealand health professionals. CONCLUSION: Addressing communication barriers for Chinese migrant women has the potential to raise awareness about breast cancer and breast health, and to increase successful participation in breast cancer screening. Greater efforts are needed to ensure this group has an understanding of, and is engaged with a primary care provider. Such efforts are key to improving health for this growing sector of the New Zealand population. KEYWORDS: Breast cancer; Chinese; mammography; mass screening; New Zealand
General practitioners views on the role of pedometers in health promotion
Authors: Patel Asmita , Kolt Gregory , Schofield Grant , Keogh Justin
Published: November 2018

INTRODUCTION: Regular pedometer use can help initiate and maintain regular walking activity that can lead to a number of health-related benefits. The primary health care setting has been found to be an ideal venue in which to counsel low-active individuals for physical activity. AIM: To examine general practitioners (GPs) views on the role of pedometers in health promotion. METHODS: Fifteen GPs working in urban, primary care practices in Auckland, New Zealand were individually interviewed. The interview schedule focused on physical activity counselling and the Green Prescription programme. For this sub-study, the focus was on questions relating to pedometer use. An inductive thematic approach was used to analyse the data. FINDINGS: Four main themes were identified. Pedometers were viewed as motivational devices that could be used to encourage low-active patients to become more active, as they provided feedback on step counts. A pedometer was also viewed as a self-management tool, whereby the individual could set daily step count goals, which in turn could help increase their physical activity engagement. GPs who currently wore a pedometer discussed the practicalities of being able to show a patient how to use a pedometer. Also discussed was how cost could restrict pedometer access for some patients. CONCLUSIONS: Pedometers were viewed by GPs as being helpful devices that could help motivate and support low-active patients in becoming more active. Information regarding step counts was seen as important because it could make people aware how little physical activity they were engaging in. KEYWORDS: General practitioners; health promotion; sedentary lifestyle; walking
Risk stratification of New Zealand general practice patients for emergency admissions in the next year: adapting the PEONY model for use in New Zealand
Authors: Tomlin Andrew M. , Lloyd Hywel S. , Tilyard Murray W.
Published: November 2018

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION
Patient-centred case management programmes in general practice are needed for patients at high risk for emergency admissions to hospital.

AIM
To adapt and assess the Predicting Emergency Admissions Over the Next Year (PEONY) model for use in New Zealand to provide risk stratification of general practice patients aged ≥40 years for emergency hospital admissions in the next year.

METHODS
A retrospective observational cohort study modelling 2008–2010 hospital utilisation and medicine use was undertaken to estimate for each patient a risk of emergency admissions in 2011. Health care data were integrated from four national data collections relating to general practice patient registers, hospital admissions, pharmacy dispensed medicines, and mortality. Logistic regression was used to estimate coefficients for variables in the model. Model performance was assessed by calculating its positive predictive value (PPV), sensitivity, and specificity at incremental risk thresholds and receiver operating characteristic.

RESULTS
The patient cohort included 1,409,506 registered patients; 154,892 (11.0%) had an emergency admission in the follow-up year. Patient age, sex, ethnic group, deprivation status, prior emergency admissions and use of medicines for chronic conditions were all strong predictors of admissions in the next year. The model’s PPV for the validation dataset was 58.2% for patients with risk ≥ 50%, and the area under its receiver operating curve = 0.72.

DISCUSSION
The PEONY model provides an effective methodology for stratifying New Zealand general practice patients’ risk for future emergency admissions. High-risk patients may benefit from patient-centred case management programs to address risk and reduce unplanned admissions.
Estimated prevalence of hearing loss and provision of hearing services in Pacific Island nations
Authors: Sanders Michael , Houghton Natasha , Dewes Ofa , McCool Judith , Thorne Peter
Published: November 2018

INTRODUCTION: Hearing impairment (HI) affects an estimated 538 million people worldwide, with 80% of these living in developing countries. Untreated HI in childhood may lead to developmental delay and in adults results in social isolation, inability to find or maintain employment, and dependency. Early intervention and support programmes can significantly reduce the negative effects of HI. AIM: To estimate HI prevalence and identify available hearing services in some Pacific countries — Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga. METHODS: Data were collected through literature review and correspondence with service providers. Prevalence estimates were based on census data and previously published regional estimates. RESULTS: Estimates indicate 20–23% of the population may have at least a mild HI, with up to 11% having a moderate impairment or worse. Estimated incidence of chronic otitis media in Pacific Island nations is 3–5 times greater than other Australasian countries in children under 10 years old. Permanent HI from otitis media is substantially more likely in children and adults in Pacific Island nations. Several organisations and individuals provide some limited hearing services in a few Pacific Island nations, but the majority of people with HI are largely underserved. DISCUSSION: Although accurate information on HI prevalence is lacking, prevalence estimates of HI and ear disease suggest they are significant health conditions in Pacific Island nations. There is relatively little support for people with HI or ear disease in the Pacific region. An investment in initiatives to both identify and support people with hearing loss in the Pacific is necessary. KEYWORDS: Health services; hearing loss; otitis media; Pacific Islands
Doctors' attitudes and confidence towards providing nutrition care in practice: Comparison of New Zealand medical students, general practice registrars and general practitioners
Authors: Crowley Jennifer , Ball Lauren , Yeo Han Dug , McGill Anne-Thea , Arroll Bruce , Leveritt Michael , Wall Clare
Published: November 2018

INTRODUCTION: Improvements in individuals' nutrition behaviour can improve risk factors and outcomes associated with lifestyle-related chronic diseases. AIM: This study describes and compares New Zealand medical students, general practice registrars and general practitioners' (GPs') attitudes towards incorporating nutrition care into practice, and self-perceived skills in providing nutrition care. METHODS: A total of 183 New Zealand medical students, 51 general practice registrars and 57 GPs completed a 60-item questionnaire investigating attitudes towards incorporating nutrition care into practice and self-perceived skills in providing nutrition care. Items were scored using a 5-point Likert scale. Factor analysis was conducted to group questionnaire items and a generalised linear model compared differences between medical students, general practice registrars and GPs. RESULTS: All groups indicated that incorporating nutrition care into practice is important. GPs displayed more positive attitudes than students towards incorporating nutrition in routine care (p<0.0001) and performing nutrition recommendations (p<0.0001). General practice registrars were more positive than students towards performing nutrition recommendations (p=0.004), specified practices (p=0.037), and eliciting behaviour change (p=0.024). All groups displayed moderate confidence towards providing nutrition care. GPs were more confident than students in areas relating to wellness and disease (p<0.0001); macronutrients (p=0.030); micronutrients (p=0.010); and women, infants and children (p<0.0001). DISCUSSION: New Zealand medical students, general practice registrars and GPs have positive attitudes and moderate confidence towards incorporating nutrition care into practice. It is possible that GPs' experience providing nutrition care contributes to greater confidence. Strategies to facilitate medical students developing confidence in providing nutrition care are warranted. KEYWORDS: General practitioner; health knowledge, attitudes, practice; medical education; nutrition therapy
Interprofessional education in a rural community: the perspectives of the clinical workplace providers
Authors: Pelham Kelly , Skinner Margot A. , McHugh Patrick , Pullon Susan
Published: November 2018

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION
Interprofessional education is internationally recognised as a key element in preparing a collaborative practice-ready health workforce, for improving health care outcomes and patient-centred practice. The Tairāwhiti interprofessional education (TIPE) programme was introduced in 2012 in a rural area with a high Māori population. Students from seven health professions: dentistry, dietetics, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy and physiotherapy participated in clinical rotations as well as working in Māori communities with Māori health providers.

AIM
The primary aim was to retrospectively investigate clinical workplace providers’ perspectives on their participation in the TIPE project over its first 3 years.

METHODS
Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were completed with 16 clinical workplace providers involved in TIPE. A qualitative approach using template analysis methodology and a priori themes was used to identify predominant themes from the providers’ perspectives.

RESULTS
All 16 providers reported positive experiences during their involvement in TIPE and wished to continue with this educational model. Benefits described included greater interprofessional collaboration at the workplace; improved engagement between students and providers; enhanced patient-centred care, particularly with Māori and whānau; and positive outcomes from community projects undertaken by the students. Although providers acknowledged additional costs on time, pressure on staff and extra workloads, all confirmed that the benefits from the project far outweighed the costs.

CONCLUSION
From the providers’ perspectives, the TIPE project met its objectives. Furthermore, providers noted several students had re-located back to Tairāwhiti to work as health professionals, which suggests that investment in TIPE adds long-term value to the community.
Intrinsic cellular chirality regulates left–right symmetry breaking during cardiac looping
Authors: Ray Poulomi , Chin Amanda S. , Worley Kathryn E. , Fan Jie , Kaur Gurleen , Wu Mingfu , Wan Leo Q.
Published: November 2018

Significance

Cell chirality, or handedness of the cell, is a newly discovered, fundamental property of the cell, so far studied in cell culture only with micropatterning or graded biomaterial-based approaches. The relevance of intrinsic cell chirality on organ laterality is yet to be established. Cardiac looping is the first organ-specific left–right asymmetry evident during embryogenesis. Despite extensive insights into the molecular signals regulating cardiac left–right asymmetry, the biophysical mechanism is still unknown. Our findings establish intrinsic cell chirality as a regulator of cardiac laterality. This study combines an in vitro chirality assay with embryonic left–right asymmetry in vivo and will significantly impact the understanding and future studies of embryonic left–right asymmetry and congenital heart diseases.
Should a Dramatherapist Disclose their Sexual Orientation to their Clients? Perhaps they should be Prepared To
Authors: Sheppard Becky
Published: November 2018

This article discusses the proposition that a therapist should be prepared to ‘come out’ and disclose their sexual orientation to a client, irrespective of how they identify. This enquiry has been shaped by the author's experience as a newly qualified dramatherapist, as a lesbian and as a new author. In the absence of existing dramatherapy literature on the topic of Therapist Self-Disclosure (TSD) and Therapist Self-Disclosure of Sexual Orientation (TSDSO), research has been drawn from publications across psychological literature. The article particularly focuses on the use of verbal and, to a lesser extent, non-verbal TSDSO with lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) therapists and/or clients.

‘Analytical snapshots’ from the author's clinical experience, as a final-year dramatherapy trainee, and from the author's personal experience will be presented and considered to further the discussion around preparedness for self-disclosure. The article supports the view that a dramatherapist should be prepared to disclose their sexual orientation to a client if required; and that becoming prepared would require the use of personal therapy, training, clinical supervision and awareness of the therapeutic relationship, as well as awareness of supporting literature.
‘Prove it’ Working with LBGTQ+ Asylum Seekers who Must Prove their Sexuality to Stay in the UK
Authors: Ward Jason
Published: November 2018

As Great Britain reaches 50 years of LBGTQ+ legislation, making it illegal to persecute an individual based on their sexual identity, not everywhere in the world is so enlightened. In some parts of the world, the act of homosexuality is punishable by law, with people sentenced to incarceration or even death. For some people, trying to leave their country and claim asylum in another part of the world is the only way people can truly be themselves. This paper is based on the case studies of two male clients who are both waiting for an asylum decision, with both cases based on their sexuality, and the approach used in therapy sessions, specifically focusing on not only coming to terms with their own persecution, moving from shame of their own culture, but also working with frustration and the re-shaming effects of proving one's sexuality. The overall objective is to create an argument for Dramatherapy when working with complex trauma, shame and raising awareness of the lesser-known work of Dramatherapy and asylum seekers.
From Isolation towards Intimacy: Healing Emotional Wounds in HIV+ Gay Men
Authors: Campinho Valadas Ryan
Published: November 2018

HIV is more than a virus affecting the immune system of millions of people. Its main modes of transmission – sex and intravenous drug use – have turned it into one of the most stigmatised health conditions, adding layers of shame and marginalisation to everyone who becomes infected.

This paper is a presentation of aspects of the research I conducted for my MA thesis in 2015, wherein I explored intimacy in interpersonal relationships between HIV+ gay men. The research was conducted over 8 months, with 25 participants, in 4 different therapy groups, and used quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The paper will focus on the findings associated with a body and movement-based technique I developed, whose aim was, and is, to support gay men's experiences of emotional and intimate wellbeing, in the short and long-term aftermath of an HIV diagnosis. It will also include insights and observations gained through subsequent clinical experience in this field, particularly the idea that HIV may be therapeutically and emotionally perceived as a catalyst for change. I will demonstrate how dramatherapy was also a catalyst for healing and encouraging emotional intimacy in the participants’ relationships with each other, and themselves.
Precipitation kinetics and structure of η precipitates in 7N01 aluminium alloy
Authors: Zhang Kang , Wu Yu , Zhang P. J. , Ma P. Z. , Chen J. Q. , Chen Hui
Published: November 2018

7N01 Al alloy is used extensively in high-speed train production. The mechanical properties of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys are known to be closely related to the characteristics of their precipitates, which are greatly affected by the heat-treatment temperature. Herein, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to investigate the precipitation kinetics and structure of η precipitates in 7N01 alloy. The solution temperature range of precipitation and the activation energy of η were determined using DSC analysis, and the chemical composition and crystal structure of the η precipitates were characterised using TEM. A relationship between the solution temperature and crystal structure was established, providing insight into the selection of the heat-treatment temperature for 7N01 alloy.
Do Neuropsychological Deficits Predict Anger Dysregulation in Adults with ADHD?
Authors: McDonagh Tracey , Travers Áine , Bramham Jessica
Published: November 2018

Objective: To examine the relationship between anger and neuropsychological functioning in adults with ADHD.

Method: Seventy adults with ADHD were assessed. Correlational and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed using neurocognitive tasks and subscales of the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI)-trait anger, anger out, anger control, while controlling for anxiety and depression (HADS), and full-scale IQ (WASI). Selective, divided, and shifting attention were assessed using the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) subscales. Sustained attention was measured using Continuous Performance Test (CPT) scores. Response inhibition was measured using scores from the CPT and Matching Familiar Figures test (MFFT).

Results: Trait anger and anger out were both found to have a significant relationship to shifting attention (TEA - visual elevator task) and anxiety. Anger control was found to have a significant relationship to response inhibition (MFFT).

Conclusion: Anger was significantly related to two measures of neuropsychological functioning, and anxiety. Shifting attention was more significantly associated with trait anger and anger out than response inhibition, which was significantly related to anger control. These findings have the potential to inform targeted interventions in forensic psychiatry and may have implications regarding which model of ADHD best accounts for anger dysregulation.
Omission of carbohydrate‐rich breakfast impairs evening 2000‐m rowing time trial performance
Authors: Cornford Elizabeth , Metcalfe Richard
Published: November 2018

Purpose: The effect of breakfast omission on evening high‐intensity exercise performance has not previously been studied. Methods: In a randomised and counterbalanced cross‐over design, 10 competitive rowers (2 male, 8 female; mean ± SD: age 21 ± 2 y, height 176 ± 7 cm, weight 76 ± 12 kg, body fat 19.7 ± 6.8%) completed two trials (individualised carbohydrate‐rich breakfast (BT; 831 ± 67 kcal eaten before 09:00) and no‐breakfast (NBT; extended overnight fast until 12:00)). Following ad libitum afternoon food intake, participants completed a 2000‐m time‐trial on a rowing ergometer between 16:30 and 18:00. Appetite and energy intake were measured throughout the day, whilst power output, time, heart rate, blood lactate, blood glucose and RPE were assessed during the time trial. Results: Appetite ratings were higher throughout the morning in NBT compared with BT, but there were no differences in ratings in the afternoon. Energy intake at lunch was greater NBT compared with BT (1236 ± 594 vs 836 ± 303 kcal, p < .05), which partly compensated for breakfast omission, although overall energy intake tended to be lower in NBT compared with BT (1236 ± 594 vs 1589 ± 225 kcal, p = .08). The time taken to complete the 2000‐m time trial was greater in NBT compared with BT (469.2 ± 43.4 vs 465.7 ± 43.3 s; p < .05). No differences in heart rate, blood glucose and blood lactate responses were apparent, but overall RPE was higher in NBT compared with BT (17.8 ± 0.9 vs 16.7 ± 0.7 au, p < .05). Conclusion: The omission of a carbohydrate‐rich breakfast impaired evening performance during a 2000‐m rowing time trial. This finding has implications for optimising evening high‐intensity exercise performance.
Hearing loss in Menière’s disease and sensorineural low-frequency fluctuating hearing loss without vertigo
Authors: Albera Andrea , Canale Andrea , Dagna Federico , Gervasio Carmine Fernando , Albera Roberto
Published: November 2018

Aims:

In previous decades Menière’s disease (MD) has been classified into four different categories: certain, definite, probable and possible. Recently, in the need to overcome critical issues in the diagnosis, the Bárány Society proposed new diagnostic criteria on MD excluding the certain and possible categories. Nevertheless, this updated classification raises the risk that many possible MD, namely isolated sensorineural low-frequency fluctuating hearing loss (SLFHL), would not be considered as precursors of definite MD. The aim of the present study is, therefore, to compare clinical aspects and evaluate differences between hearing loss in definite MD and in isolated SLFHL, which could be useful for clinical diagnostic and prognostic purposes.

Materials and methods:

A total of 662 patients suffering from definite MD (n = 447) and isolated SLFHL (n = 215) according to the 1995 American Academy of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery guidelines were retrospectively considered along a 5-year period. Pure-tone audiometry was performed on all patients.

Results:

A significantly higher incidence of bilateral pathology and longer duration of disease resulted in patients with definite MD. Differently, no significant differences were demonstrated between the groups either in terms of age at diagnosis or gender. The average 500–3000 Hz hearing threshold was significantly higher in definite MD in comparison with SLFHL.

Conclusions:

Results support the assumption of the difficulty to perform a differential diagnosis between definite MD and SLFHL and suggest the extent of hearing loss as the main diagnostic element in predicting the onset of vertigo, therefore an evolution to definite MD.
Sensing danger through a “finger”
Authors: Ma Xiaojing
Published: November 2018

In this issue of JEM, the study by Chen et al. (https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20181031) reveals a previously unrecognized role of cellular nucleic acid–binding protein (Cnbp) as a novel transcriptional regulator of interleukin-12β (IL-12β) transcription and IL-12–driven, Th1-mediated immune responses, which has important implications for both host defense and inflammatory disease.
All (animal) models (of neurodegeneration) are wrong. Are they also useful?
Authors: Ransohoff Richard M.
Published: November 2018

Richard M. Ransohoff, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Third Rock Ventures and Visiting Scientist at Harvard Medical School, provides his personal opinion on using animal models to address current challenges and opportunities in drug development for neurodegeneration.
Southern Literature and the Civil Rights Era
Authors: Buckner Armstrong Julie
Published: November 2018

Southern literature provides numerous, diverse responses to the civil rights era. Produced during the movement itself and continuing into the 21st century, southern civil rights writing appears as poetry, drama, memoir, graphic narrative, short stories, and novels, including literary fiction and bestsellers. Movement-related works commemorate events, places, and people both famous and unknown. Authors speak of political awakening to systemic racism and violence. They consider the effectiveness of organizing tactics and the ethical implications of resistance strategies. They write compellingly about the ways segregation, protest, race relations, and sweeping social changes affect individuals and their relationships. Southern literature also exists in complex relationship to the civil rights era due in part to both terms’ fluid, evolving definitions. “Southern literature” can refer to works written in and about the American South, yet both of these categories remain more dynamic than static. The South is demarcated geographically as the United States’ southeastern and south central tier and historically as a region with ties to the former Confederacy. The South’s vexed legacy of slavery and segregation plays a role in defining a regional identity that some consider to be distinctive in terms of dialect, food culture, and an emphasis on conservative views of family, community, religion, place, and history. Many scholars, however, see constructions of a distinct southern identity with an accompanying literature as outmoded, particularly in an era of shifting demographics within the US and globalization more broadly. Like “southern literature,” the “civil rights era” resists rigid definition. The movement itself can refer to the period from the US Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision desegregating public schools to the 1965 Voting Rights Act—an era focused on specific civil rights leadership, goals, and, notably, the American South. Alternatively, one can define the movement more comprehensively to look at what happened before and after “the King years,” referring to the period’s iconic figure Martin Luther King Jr. This version of civil rights extends the movement to points North and West, includes Black Power (typically focused on the late 1960s and early 1970s), and links it to contemporaneous human rights and post-colonial struggles. Authors from the American South respond to this broader story by connecting the movement to issues such as immigration; policing and incarceration; economic and environmental justice; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights. Here writers depict a dynamic, multifaceted South that continues striving to transform political ideals into realities.
Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) and Its Diffusion
Authors: Dul Jan
Published: November 2018

Necessary condition analysis (NCA) understands cause–effect relations in terms of “necessary but not sufficient.” This means that without the right level of the cause, a certain effect cannot occur. This is independent of other causes; thus, the necessary condition can become a single bottleneck, critical factor, constraint, disqualifier, or so on that blocks the outcome when it is absent. NCA can be used as a stand-alone method or in multimethod research to complement regression-based methods such as multiple linear regression (MLR) and structural equation modeling (SEM), as well as methods like fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).

The NCA method consists of four stages: formulation of necessary condition hypotheses, collection of data, analysis of data, and reporting of results. Based on existing methodological publications about NCA, guidelines for good NCA practice are summarized. These guidelines show how to conduct NCA with the NCA software and how to report the results. The guidelines support (potential) users, readers, and reviewers of NCA to become more familiar with the method and to understand how NCA should be applied, as well as how results should be reported.

NCA’s rapid diffusion and broad applicability in the social, technical, and medical sciences is illustrated by the growth of the number of article publications with NCA, the diversity of disciplines where NCA is applied, and the geographical spread of researchers who apply NCA.
Urban Communication
Authors: Drucker Susan J. , Gumpert Gary
Published: November 2018

Cities themselves function as media of communication. They are places where messages are created, carried, and exchanged by structures, infrastructures, and people. Urbanity is an age-old phenomenon undergoing radical transformation as developing means of communication redefine traditional notions of place and space. Urban communication meshes population density, technology and social interaction. Urban communication, like urban studies, is an interdisciplinary field that provides a fresh perspective from which to view the city and its transformation. The communication lens offers valuable perspectives and methodologies for the examination of urban and suburban life. It conceptualizes the city as a complex environment of interpersonal interaction, a landscape of spaces and places that shape human behavior, and an intricate technological environment.

The development of urban communication research and activities is traceable from the early works a diverse group of urbanists to more current research programs conducted by communication scholars. Urban communication foregrounds communication in the study of the urban landscape. The unique patterns and needs of urban dwellers and communities are examined in an age where cities are layered with media technologies. An increasing number of technologies enable information from the digital world to be layered onto the physical world through augmented realities, thereby altering the person–environment relationship by creating spaces in which users interact with their physical surroundings through digital media. The future of cities is increasingly influenced by media technology. Cities are global, connected, inclusive, livable, green, sustainable, mega, and smart. Cities have been identified as communicative cities. There are many ways of looking at communication and cities and the history and broad parameters of the growing area of urban communication.
Power and Control in Communication Studies
Authors: Dutta Mohan Jyoti
Published: November 2018

Power constitutes discourse and is in turn, constituted by discourse. Power mediates the relationship between economics and discourse, working through discourse to reproduce the extractive interests of capital. It is on hand, embedded in economic structures; on the other hand, it is often enacted through discursive processes, discursive spaces, and discursive tactics. A conceptual framework for theorizing power is offered in this overview in order to understand the various approaches to power in communication studies, the divergences between these approaches and the convergences between them. A Marxist analysis of power as rooted in economic structures and exerted in oppression is positioned in relationship with post-structuralist reading of power as fragmented and multi-sited. Reading power and control through a framework of intersectionality foregrounds the intersections between class, race, gender, caste, and colonial formations. The various sites of workings of power are examined, from interpersonal relationships, to groups, to organizations and communities, to mediated spaces. The roles of communication strategy, communicative inversions, and communicative erasure are articulated in the context of power, depicting the ways in which power plays out through communication. These concepts then grapple with the contemporary context of power and communication in the realm of the digital, and outline potential anchors for communication scholarship seeking to explain & resist power amid the digital turn in the neoliberal transformation of the globe. Attention is paid to the extractive industries, poor working conditions, big data industries driving behavior change, and digital development markets that are continually consolidating new forms of capitalist profiteering.
Electoral Choice and Religion: An Overview
Authors: Raymond Christopher D.
Published: November 2018

A wide body of research has studied the impact of religious cleavages on electoral choice in a range of democracies. This research focuses on two types of religious cleavages. One type of religious cleavage is the confessional cleavage, which is a measure of the center-periphery cleavages. This type of cleavage is measured in surveys using indicators of respondents’ religious identities (e.g., Christian vs. Muslim [when one needs to distinguish between voters of different faiths], Catholic vs. Protestant [when one needs to distinguish between different denominations within the same broader faith], and Presbyterian vs. Methodist [when one needs to distinguish between different traditions]). The other type of religious cleavage is the clerical cleavage, which divides religious from secular (i.e., nonreligious) voters. Clerical cleavages are measured using either a measure of religious behavior (e.g., individuals’ frequency of attendance of religious services or frequency of prayer) or beliefs (e.g., whether and the degree to which one believes in the tenets associated with one’s religious identity). Where such cleavages are present, previous research shows that religious groups tend to vote for parties appealing to their votes, while religious voters behave differently from secular voters.

A wide body of research also examines whether and how the effects of religious cleavages change over time. One line of research argues that the effects of religious cleavages on electoral choices change in response to changes in society and among individuals. For instance, as individuals and society as a whole become more secular, some research argues that religious cleavages impact electoral choices less than more religious societies where religion matters more to individuals. Additionally, as voters become more cognitively sophisticated, voters do not need to rely on religious cleavages, resulting in weaker religious effects on voting behavior. Another line of research argues that the effects of religious cleavages change in response to changes in the messages articulated by political parties: When parties compete on issues relevant to religious voters and maintain organizational ties to religious groups in society, the effects of religious cleavages on voting behavior will be strong; when parties deemphasize religious issues and reduce formal ties to religious organizations, the effects of religious cleavages will weaken. While research suggests both types of changes impact the effects of religious cleavages on electoral choices, more research is needed to determine the extent to which ties between parties and religious voters have weakened, especially after accounting for the impact of religious and parental socialization on the behavior of seculars, as well as the degree to which material satisfaction increases the salience of religious issues for religious voters.
The History of Gangs and Gang Research
Authors: Fleisher Mark S.
Published: November 2018

Radical culture change instigated by conflict among diverse cultural groups has had adverse social and psychological effects witnessed by the rise of youth gangs. A close look at the processes of gang formation in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City illustrates that rapid changes in core cultural systems had a chilling effect on ethnic groups’ core cultural practices, such as adolescents’ rites of passage to adulthood. In the absence of culturally prescribed, ritual activities, adolescents have not been prepared to assume their culture’s prescribed adult roles. That radical loss in a core cultural tradition has adversely affected adolescents’ behavior. Research in the early decades of the 20th century in Chicago reported that adolescent gang members experienced depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and addictions as consequents of violence clashes between Chicago’s native white population and European immigrants and black migrants. Over the decades of gang research in America and Europe, sociologists and anthropologists have come to agree on cultural elements in theories of gang formation: American and European youth gangs are derivative of cultural clashes, which engender racism and fundamental antagonistic changes in cultural systems’ economic production and social control. Effects of hostile culture change include social discord, unemployment, gang, and violence.

Social network research on adolescent gangs has shown that gangs are not closed social groups limiting gang members’ interpersonal contact to co-group members. Gang and non-group adolescents differ in attributes (sex, age, education), but structural measures of adolescent gang groups and non-groups are similar. Network research has carefully examined gang and non-gang adolescents’ personal networks. A personal network of male and female gang members includes people they know who know them. A personal network’s composition can include a few friends, close friends, and best friends, and numerous others inside a gang group as well as members of other gangs and non-gang members. Personal network relations connect gang adolescents to their families, friends, and neighborhoods, despite gang membership. Gang ethnography describing youth gang members and their families has shown that gang youth have been victims of domestic and intimate partner violence, experience periods of episodic homelessness away their natal and extended kin, as well as fictive families, and suffer adverse mental health consequences.
Multiliteracies in Malaysia
Authors: Puteh-Behak Fariza , Mat Saad Noor Saazai , Idrus Mohd Muzhafar
Published: November 2018

Globalization and the advent of technology have caused a major shift in work culture and personal lives in the 21st century, and consequently has shifted the emphasis and direction of the teaching and learning domain. Researchers and educators in The New London Group introduced the concept of multiliteracies in 1994. This approach takes into account the diversity of linguistic, communicative, and technological dimensions into classroom practice. In Malaysia, the integration of this approach resulted in educational reform and the introduction of the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013–2025 for Preschool and Post-Secondary Education, Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015–2025 for Higher Education, and a National e-Learning Policy. These policies focus on the enhancement of information and communication technology in Malaysia in terms of facilities, management, and ways of learning. Multiliteracies pedagogy is thriving in the Malaysian academic landscape.
Market Economy, Social Change, and Education Inequality in China
Authors: Guo Shibao , Guo Yan
Published: November 2018

China has experienced major shifts from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, from centralization to decentralization, from state ownership to privatization, and from a decisive state to a weakened state. Despite China’s economic miracle, the country also faces unprecedented challenges, including rising social inequality, rural-urban divide, regional disparity, environmental degradation, declining health and education conditions, and polarization between the rich and poor. China’s profound socioeconomic and political transformations have led to significant fundamental changes to education in China, as manifested in its decentralization, marketization, and privatization. One significant paradigm change relates to the devolution of education power and policy from a centralized governance model to local governments. With the privatization and marketization of its education system, China has adopted a market-oriented approach with the orientation, provision, student enrollment, curriculum, and financing of education. There is sufficient evidence to suggest that there has been a withdrawal of the mighty state from its paternalistic role in the provision and subsidy of public education. Unfortunately, the market economy has further increased education inequalities. The maldistribution of resources and education opportunities raises important questions about issues of social justice and equity regarding who gets how much education as the social good.
The Archaeology of Political Complexity in West Africa Through 1450 CE
Authors: Dueppen Stephen
Published: November 2018

Political complexity in archaeological research has traditionally been defined as socio-political differentiation (roles, statuses, offices) integrated through centralized systems of power and authority. In recent decades the assumption that complex organizational forms tend to be hierarchical in structure has been called into question, based upon both archaeological research and ethnological observations worldwide, including in classic archaeological case studies of centralization. Moreover, there has been an increasing interest in exploring variability in political legitimizations and articulations of power and authority globally. Until these theoretical shifts, West African complex societies, both archaeological and from ethnographic analyses, were largely ignored in discussions of political complexity since many (but not all) conformed poorly to the expectations of highly centralized power and administration. West African ethnohistoric and archaeological examples are now playing important roles in current discussions of heterarchical organizational structures, checks on exclusionary power, cooperation, urbanism, ethnicity, and the nature of administration in states.
Exploring Present Pasts: Popular Arts as Historical Sources
Authors: Jewsiewicki Bogumil , Roberts Allen F.
Published: November 2018

To incorporate sub-Saharan senses of artistic production and practice into scholarly reconstruction of African pasts, distance must be sought from deeply embedded positivist notions of Art, History, and Art History. As Rowland Abiodun exhorts, the “African” must be returned to “African art.” Following African ways of knowing, how do works of art from earlier as well as contemporary times make pasts present to help people cope with current circumstances as inspired by ancestral wisdom? Cases from urban Senegal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo demonstrate the dynamism of such social processes.
Quantitative Methods and Economic Statistical Sources for African History
Authors: Jerven Morten
Published: November 2018

The mode of enquiry in African economic history has changed quite radically in recent years. In 1987, Patrick Manning surveyed practices and databases in African economic history and compared empirical strategies of scholars who studied the African past. Current practice, which A. G. Hopkins called “new African economic history,” incorporates econometric methods. The specific methods chosen and the types of source material used have implications for what kind of questions are asked and how they can be answered. The dominant mode of research in current African economic history, responding to some of the new challenges posed by econometric work by economists, is to create new data sets and databases that allow more consistent analysis of economic change over time.