bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tuber griseolivaceum sp. nov., a new olive-gray truffle species from China based on morphological and DNA data
Authors: HUANG KAIBING , CHEN MENG , FAN LI
Published: June 2017

Tuber griseolivaceum sp. nov. is described and illustrated from southwest China based on molecular and morphological analysis. Morphologically, the new species is easily confused with T. caoi because both have olive gray ascomata and regularly globose ascospores with reticulate ornaments, but T. griseolivaceum is distinguished from T. caoi by its blackish to black gleba and 3–4 (–5) meshes across the spore width. ITS-based phylogenetic analysis also strongly supports the erection of the new species.
On the systematics of the water mites Hygrobates nigromaculatus Lebert, 1879 and H. setosus Besseling, 1942 (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Hygrobatidae)
Authors: TUZOVSKIJ PETR V.
Published: June 2017

The first description of the deutonymph of the water mite Hygrobates setosus and a redescription of larvae, females and males of H. nigromaculatus and H. setosus are presented, with a comparative analysis of some morphological structures in all active stages of both species.
List of leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from Lagodekhi reserve with new records for Transcaucasia and Georgia
Authors: ASLAN EBRU GÜL , MUMLADZE LEVAN , JAPOSHVILI GEORGE
Published: June 2017

Leaf beetles of Lagodekhi National Park have been studied for the first time. Thirty two species were recorded from the area of which 14 are new for Georgia, 1 genus and 8 species are new to Transcaucasus. Together with the additional 16 species that were already known from literature, a total of 48 chrysomelid species for Lagodekhi reserve is listed here with notes on the specimens examined and general distributions. Some insights into the elevational pattern of leaf beetle diversity in Lagodekhi National Park are also provided.
Trachelus stipa (Hymenoptera: Cephidae), a new stem sawfly from Central Anatolia associated with feather grass (Stipa holosericea, Poaceae)
Authors: BUDAK MAHİR , BLANK STEPHAN M. , BAŞIBÜYÜK HASAN H.
Published: June 2017

Trachelus stipa is described from Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is morphologically close to T. flavicornis and T. troglodyta regarding the structure of the preapical sterna of the male. It is unique among Trachelus species regarding the shape of the claw of the posterior leg, the size of the denticles of the ovipositor and the short valvula 3 of the ovipositor sheath in the female, and the distally notched hypopygium in the male. The genetic distance found in two mitochondrial (COI and cyt b) and one nuclear (EF-1α) gene regions support the recognition of this species and its placement within Trachelus, although the shape of the ovipositor sheath disagrees with this concept. Stipa holosericea, the host of T. stipa according to field observations, represents the first record of a feather grass as the host of a sawfly species.
Redescription of the Philippine leafhopper genus Iposcopus Baker (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Idiocerinae)
Authors: XUE QINGQUAN , MCKAMEY STUART H. , ZHANG YALIN
Published: June 2017

The Philippine leafhopper genus Iposcopus Baker is redescribed. The male and female genitalia of I. breviceps and I. distanti are described and illustrated for the first time.        Baker (1915) established the genus Iposcopus and included two new species, I. breviceps and I. distanti (the type species) from the Philippines. Previously, only the external morphology and color have been described, not the genitalia. Here we first give a more complete description of the species, including male and female genitalia.
Long-Range Persistence in Global Surface Temperatures Explained by Linear Multibox Energy Balance Models
Authors: Fredriksen Hege-Beate , Rypdal Martin
Published: June 2017

The temporal fluctuations in global mean surface temperature are an example of a geophysical quantity that can be described using the notions of long-range persistence and scale invariance/scaling, but this description has suffered from lack of a generally accepted physical explanation. Processes with these statistical signatures can arise from nonlinear effects, for instance, through cascade-like energy transfer in turbulent fluids, but they can also be produced by linear models with scale-invariant impulse–response functions. This paper demonstrates that, on time scales from months to centuries, the scale-invariant impulse–response function of global surface temperature can be explained by simple linear multibox energy balance models. This explanation describes both the scale invariance of the internal variability and the lack of a characteristic time scale of the response to external forcings. With parameters estimated from observational data, the climate response is approximately scaling in these models, even if the response function is not chosen to be scaling a priori. It is also demonstrated that the differences in scaling exponents for temperatures over land and for sea surface temperatures can be reproduced by a version of the multibox energy balance model with two distinct surface boxes.
Investigating the Determinants and Effects of Local Drought Awareness
Authors: Switzer David , Vedlitz Arnold
Published: June 2017

Literature in environmental public opinion has recently focused on the linkages between biophysical conditions and opinion formation. Where environmental issues and weather are more severe, individuals have been shown to have greater perception of environmental risk and greater support for environmental protection. Perceptions, however, do not always reflect actual weather, and perceptions may actually matter more when it comes to the formation of opinions. This paper explores this possibility in the context of drought, examining what variables determine individual awareness of drought and further exploring how drought awareness influences risk perception and policy preferences. Using data from two nationally representative probability-based panel surveys, as well as data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, the analysis indicates that while drought severity is the largest predictor of drought awareness, ideological and demographic variables also play a role. Importantly, drought awareness is actually a stronger predictor of concern for water shortages and support for water policy than drought severity, showing that understanding what determines drought awareness may be crucial for building policy support.
Applying Full Spectrum Analysis to a Raman Spectroscopic Assessment of Fracture Toughness of Human Cortical Bone
Authors: Makowski Alexander J. , Granke Mathilde , Ayala Oscar D. , Uppuganti Sasidhar , Mahadevan-Jansen Anita , Nyman Jeffry S.
Published: June 2017

A decline in the inherent quality of bone tissue is a † Equal contributors contributor to the age-related increase in fracture risk. Although this is well-known, the important biochemical factors of bone quality have yet to be identified using Raman spectroscopy (RS), a nondestructive, inelastic light-scattering technique. To identify potential RS predictors of fracture risk, we applied principal component analysis (PCA) to 558 Raman spectra (370–1720 cm–1) of human cortical bone acquired from 62 female and male donors (nine spectra each) spanning adulthood (age range = 21–101 years). Spectra were analyzed prior to R-curve, nonlinear fracture mechanics that delineate crack initiation (Kinit) from crack growth toughness (Kgrow). The traditional ν1phosphate peak per amide I peak (mineral-to-matrix ratio) weakly correlated with Kinit (r = 0.341, p = 0.0067) and overall crack growth toughness (J-int: r = 0.331, p = 0.0086). Sub-peak ratios of the amide I band that are related to the secondary structure of type 1 collagen did not correlate with the fracture toughness properties. In the full spectrum analysis, one principal component (PC5) correlated with all of the mechanical properties (Kinit: r = − 0.467, Kgrow: r = − 0.375, and J-int: r = − 0.428; p < 0.0067). More importantly, when known predictors of fracture toughness, namely age and/or volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), were included in general linear models as covariates, several PCs helped explain 45.0% (PC5) to 48.5% (PC7), 31.4% (PC6), and 25.8% (PC7) of the variance in Kinit, Kgrow, and J-int, respectively. Deriving spectral features from full spectrum analysis may improve the ability of RS, a clinically viable technology, to assess fracture risk.
Partisan Portfolio Allocation in African Democracies
Authors: Ariotti Margaret H. , Golder Sona N.
Published: June 2017

What determines partisan portfolio allocation in African democracies? Despite the vast literature on government formation in Europe and Latin America, there have been no studies of partisan portfolio allocation in Africa. Although coalition governments are increasingly common in Africa, most studies focus on national leaders, and, thus, we know little about how ministerial posts are divided among cabinet parties. Using an original dataset of coalition governments in Africa from 1990 to 2014, we show that existing theories of partisan portfolio allocation can be successfully applied to African democracies. We find that African parties receive ministerial portfolios in rough proportion to their size, that formateur parties in Africa receive more ministerial portfolios than their European counterparts, and that the “formateur bonus” is greater in Africa’s presidential democracies than in its parliamentary ones. Our analyses suggest that scholars can benefit from paying more attention to both coalition governments and legislatures in their analyses of African politics.
Literacy, Information, and Party System Fragmentation in India
Authors: Rozenas Arturas , Sadanandan Anoop
Published: June 2017

A rich theoretical literature argues that, in contradiction to Duverger’s law, the plurality voting rule can fail to produce two-party system when voters do not share their common information about the electoral situation. We present an empirical operationalization and a series of tests of this informational hypothesis in the case of India using constituency- and individual-level data. In highly illiterate constituencies where access to information and information sharing among voters is low, voters often fail to coordinate on the two most viable parties. In highly literate constituencies, voters are far more successful at avoiding vote-wasting—in line with the informational hypothesis. At a microlevel, these aggregate-level patterns are driven by the interaction of individual information and the informational context: In dense informational environments, even low-information voters can successfully identify viable parties and vote for them, but in sparse informational environments, individual access to information is essential for successful strategic voting.
Working-Class Strength by Institutional Design? Unionization, Partisan Politics, and Unemployment Insurance Systems, 1870 to 2010
Authors: Rasmussen Magnus Bergli , Pontusson Jonas
Published: June 2017

Many studies have found that countries with union-administered unemployment insurance have higher rates of unionization than countries with state-administered unemployment insurance. With data going further back in history, this article demonstrates that the introduction of so-called “Ghent systems” had no effect on unionization rates. We argue that the Ghent effect identified by the existing literature came about as a result of increasing state subsidization and benefit generosity in the 1950s and 1960s. Exploring the partisan politics of unemployment insurance, we show that progressive Liberals (“Social Liberals”) favored Ghent designs while Social Democrats favored state-administered unemployment insurance before the Second World War. We also present some evidence suggesting that Left governments, inheriting Ghent systems that were not of their choosing, promoted state subsidization in the postwar era and thus helped generate the Ghent effect identified by the existing literature.
Spatiotemporal Convergence of Crime and Vehicle Crash Hotspots: Additional Consideration for Policing Places
Authors: Carter Jeremy G. , Piza Eric L.
Published: June 2017

Policing strategies that seek to simultaneously combat crime and vehicle crashes operate under the assumption that these two problems have a corollary relationship—an assumption that has received scant empirical attention and is the focus of the present study. Geocoded vehicle crash, violent crime, and property crime totals across were aggregated to Indianapolis census blocks over a 36-month period (2011-2013). Time series negative binomial regression and local indicators of spatial autocorrelation analyses were conducted. Results indicate that both violent and property crime are significantly related to vehicle crash counts, both overall and during the temporal confines of patrol tours. Relationship strength was modest. Spatiotemporal analysis of crime and crash data can identify places for police intervention and improved scholarly evaluation.
School-Based Activities, Misbehavior, Discipline, and Racial and Ethnic Disparities
Authors: Latimore T. Lorraine , Peguero Anthony A. , Popp Ann Marie , Shekarkhar Zahra , Koo Dixie J.
Published: June 2017

School-based discipline can negatively shape the educational outcomes of students, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities. Because racial and ethnic minority youth are at risk for educational failure and marginalized within schools, academic and sport extracurricular activities are often presented as a means to ameliorate educational risk factors. Little is known, however, about the relationship between involvement in these activities and school-based discipline, particularly for racial and ethnic minority youth. This study uses data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 and incorporates multilevel modeling techniques to examine whether the relationship between academic and sport extracurricular activities, misbehavior, and school-based discipline varies by race and ethnicity. This study suggests that while academic and sport extracurricular activities reduce the likelihood of school-based discipline for White students, the relationships for racial and ethnic minority are complex. The implications of the racial and ethnic disparity in school-based discipline in the United States are discussed.
Filling the Void: A Grounded Theory Approach to Addressing Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Urban Schools
Authors: Wronowski Meredith L.
Published: June 2017

This research addresses the problem of teacher shortages in urban, high-needs schools. A grounded theory methodology was used to expand insights related to teacher recruitment and retention by collecting and analyzing qualitative (interview and observational) data from nine successful urban teachers. A two-part model of recruitment and retention emerged from this analysis. The model recommends that recruitment practices should be directed at locating individuals who have specific personality traits, the ability to practice cultural awareness and acceptance, and who build effective relationships with students. Organizational retention practices should be focused on increasing teacher empowerment within an organizational learning framework.
Socioeconomic Status and Out-of-School Citizenship Education in China’s Shanghai
Authors: Ye Wangbei
Published: June 2017

Many studies have noted the important role family socioeconomic status (SES) plays in students’ out-of-school learning. However, very little is known about the relationship between student’s SES and citizenship education in out-of-school contexts. To address this research gap, this study conducted an out-of-school citizenship education survey (involving 2,950 teachers, 7,388 students, 2,564 parents, and 112 out-of-school education organizations in Shanghai, China), in 2015, to explore the relationship between SES and students’ out-of-school citizenship education. This article found SES affected primary and junior middle school (but not high school) students’ participation in out-of-school citizenship education. This article adopted a power–knowledge relationship perspective to explain this pattern, and found that the relationship between education and power is not so mechanical that only powerful groups in society can determine knowledge and learning; instead, educational forces and students may mediate the influence of SES.
Ritual Practices: An Emergentist Perspective
Authors: Bennett-Hunter Guy
Published: June 2017

The theological use of the concept of emergence and of philosophical theories known as emergentism, has recently increased in popularity. After a brief introduction, the second section of this article argues that the most philosophically promising version of emergentism is one informed by classical and contemporary pragmatism. The third section describes in some detail the entanglement of facts and values that this form of emergentism implies. The final two sections apply pragmatistic emergentism theologically, with a focus on religious rituals and, in particular, the ritual washing of Eucharistic vessels. It concludes that pragmatistic emergentism, with its distinctive perspective on the entanglement of facts and values, can help to make philosophical sense of an otherwise unintelligible ritual practice.
Body Weight Misconception and Maintenance Among Female African American College Students
Authors: Riggs Amy Jo , Melton Bridget F. , Bigham Lauren E. , Zhang Jian
Published: June 2017

The purpose of this study was to compare self-reported weight classifications with objectively measured body mass index (BMI) and weight management motivations among female African American (AA) students in a mid-size southeastern university in a rural setting. Participants were recruited from general health class to complete a brief survey, and their height/weight was measured. Chi-square tests were performed to investigate whether mismatch occurred between self-perceived weight classification and directly measured BMI, and the relationship between body weight loss effort and self-perceived body weight. Among the women who were classified as overweight or obese based on direct measurements, 29.63% and 11.59% felt they were normal weight, respectively. Almost one third of the overweight college females perceived their body weight incorrectly and body weight perception is a significant factor driving the body weight control efforts. Appropriate programs for body weight perception and weight control behavior for AA female college students should be developed and implemented.
The Role of NrF2 in the Regulation of Periodontal Health and Disease
Authors: Chiu A.V. , Saigh M. Al , McCulloch C.A. , Glogauer M.
Published: June 2017

Immune-related disease tolerance is an important defense strategy that facilitates the maintenance of health in organs and tissues that are commonly colonized by bacteria. Immune tolerance to dysbiotic, tooth-borne biofilms is a poorly understood yet clinically relevant concept in the immunopathological mechanisms that are involved in the pathogenesis of periodontitis, particularly those related to neutrophil and macrophage responses. In periodontal health, neutrophils and macrophages respond to the formation of pathogenic bacterial biofilms by the production of bactericidal reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, when released in excess, ROS cause tissue damage and exacerbate inflammation. To counter these destructive responses, many cell types, including neutrophils and macrophages, launch a dedicated antioxidant system that limits the cell and tissue-damaging effects of ROS. The expression of antioxidants is primarily regulated by genetic response elements in their promoters. Here we consider the roles of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (NrF2), a transcription factor, and other key regulators of antioxidants. The concept of disease tolerance, neutrophil and macrophage-generated oxidative stress, and their relationship to the pathogenesis of periodontitis is reviewed. We focus on the regulation of NrF2 and recent evidence suggesting that NrF2 plays a central role in host protection against tissue destruction in periodontitis.
Can Misfit Be a Motivator of Helping and Voice Behaviors? Role of Leader–Follower Complementary Fit in Helping and Voice Behaviors
Authors: Kim Mihee , Shin Yuhyung , Gang Min Cheol
Published: June 2017

This study explores the role of leader–follower complementary fit in predicting followers’ helping and voice behaviors. We collected survey-based data from 645 employees in 119 South Korean teams and performed cross-level polynomial regression analyses and response surface tests. The cross-level polynomial regression analyses and post hoc analyses generally endorsed complementary fit effects, such that the levels of helping and voice behaviors were higher when promotion-focused followers interacted with less transformational leaders and when less promotion-focused followers interacted with transformational leaders. On the contrary, we detected a supplementary fit effect for prevention focus. More precisely, followers’ helping behavior was more pronounced when their prevention focus was similar to the level of transactional leadership than where there was a mismatch between the two. These findings provide a nuanced perspective for understanding the differential roles of complementary and supplementary fit between transformational and transactional leadership and follower regulatory focus in predicting helping and voice behaviors.
Hospital Capital Investment During the Great Recession
Authors: Choi Sung
Published: June 2017

Hospital capital investment is important for acquiring and maintaining technology and equipment needed to provide health care. Reduction in capital investment by a hospital has negative implications for patient outcomes. Most hospitals rely on debt and internal cash flow to fund capital investment. The great recession may have made it difficult for hospitals to borrow, thus reducing their capital investment. I investigated the impact of the great recession on capital investment made by California hospitals. Modeling how hospital capital investment may have been liquidity constrained during the recession is a novel contribution to the literature. I estimated the model with California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development data and system generalized method of moments. Findings suggest that not-for-profit and public hospitals were liquidity constrained during the recession. Comparing the changes in hospital capital investment between 2006 and 2009 showed that hospitals used cash flow to increase capital investment by $2.45 million, other things equal.
Compliance With Electronic Medical Records Privacy Policy: An Empirical Investigation of Hospital Information Technology Staff
Authors: Sher Ming-Ling , Talley Paul C. , Yang Ching-Wen , Kuo Kuang-Ming
Published: June 2017

The employment of Electronic Medical Records is expected to better enhance health care quality and to relieve increased financial pressure. Electronic Medical Records are, however, potentially vulnerable to security breaches that may result in a rise of patients’ privacy concerns. The purpose of our study was to explore the factors that motivate hospital information technology staff’s compliance with Electronic Medical Records privacy policy from the theoretical lenses of protection motivation theory and the theory of reasoned action. The study collected data using survey methodology. A total of 310 responses from information technology staff of 7 medical centers in Taiwan was analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling technique. The results revealed that perceived vulnerability and perceived severity of threats from Electronic Medical Records breaches may be used to predict the information technology staff’s fear arousal level. And factors including fear arousal, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and subjective norm, in their turn, significantly predicted IT staff’s behavioral intention to comply with privacy policy. Response cost was not found to have any relationship with behavioral intention. Based on the findings, we suggest that hospitals could plan and design effective strategies such as initiating privacy-protection awareness and skills training programs to improve information technology staff member’s adherence to privacy policy. Furthermore, enhancing the privacy-protection climate in hospitals is also a viable means to the end. Further practical and research implications are also discussed.
An Examination of the Likelihood of Home Discharge After General Hospitalizations Among Medicaid Recipients
Authors: Mkanta William N. , Chumbler Neale R. , Yang Kai , Saigal Romesh , Abdollahi Mohammad , Mejia de Grubb Maria C. , Ezekekwu Emmanuel U.
Published: June 2017

Ability to predict discharge destination would be a useful way of optimizing posthospital care. We conducted a cross-sectional, multiple state study of inpatient services to assess the likelihood of home discharges in 2009 among Medicaid enrollees who were discharged following general hospitalizations. Analyses were conducted using hospitalization data from the states of California, Georgia, Michigan, and Mississippi. A total of 33 160 patients were included in the study among which 13 948 (42%) were discharged to their own homes and 19 212 (58%) were discharged to continue with institutional-based treatment. A multiple logistic regression model showed that gender, age, race, and having ambulatory care-sensitive conditions upon admission were significant predictors of home-based discharges. Females were at higher odds of home discharges in the sample (odds ratio [OR] = 1.631; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.520-1.751), while patients with ambulatory care-sensitive conditions were less likely to get home discharges (OR = 0.739; 95% CI, 0.684-0.798). As the nation engages in the continued effort to improve the effectiveness of the health care system, cost savings are possible if providers and systems of care are able to identify admission factors with greater prospects for in-home services after discharge.
Factors Associated With Having a Physician, Nurse Practitioner, or Physician Assistant as Primary Care Provider for Veterans With Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Morgan Perri , Everett Christine M. , Smith Valerie A. , Woolson Sandra , Edelman David , Hendrix Cristina C. , Berkowitz Theodore S. Z. , White Brandolyn , Jackson George L.
Published: June 2017

Expanded use of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) is a potential solution to workforce issues, but little is known about how NPs and PAs can best be used. Our study examines whether medical and social complexity of patients is associated with whether their primary care provider (PCP) type is a physician, NP, or PA. In this national retrospective cohort study, we use 2012-2013 national Veterans Administration (VA) electronic health record data from 374 223 veterans to examine whether PCP type is associated with patient, clinic, and state-level factors representing medical and social complexity, adjusting for all variables simultaneously using a generalized logit model. Results indicate that patients with physician PCPs are modestly more medically complex than those with NP or PA PCPs. For the group having a Diagnostic Cost Group (DCG) score >2.0 compared with the group having DCG <0.5, odds of having an NP or a PA were lower than for having a physician PCP (NP odds ratio [OR] = 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.79-0.88; PA OR = 0.85, CI: 0.80-0.89). Social complexity is not consistently associated with PCP type. Overall, we found minor differences in provider type assignment. This study improves on previous work by using a large national dataset that accurately ascribes the work of NPs and PAs, analyzing at the patient level, analyzing NPs and PAs separately, and addressing social as well as medical complexity. This is a requisite step toward studies that compare patient outcomes by provider type.
Unmet Needs for Family Caregivers of Elderly People With Dementia Living in Italy: What Do We Know So Far and What Should We Do Next?
Authors: De Cola Maria C. , Lo Buono Viviana , Mento Agata , Foti Mariella , Marino Silvia , Bramanti Placido , Manuli Alfredo , Calabrò Rocco S.
Published: June 2017

Care of the elderly with dementia represents one of the major challenges for the modern society worldwide. The burden of dementia care often falls on the family members, entailing heavy psychosocial and economic consequences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the caregiver’s perspective concerning the support for disease management on behalf of the physicians and the local Sicilian administrations (Italy), and the burden of care and effects on their lifestyle, to propose new prevention strategies and service for managing dementia and caregiver’s burden. Fifty-nine caregivers of Italian elderly people with dementia (mean age, 73; age range: 63-83) were interviewed, and 55 of them completed an ad hoc self-report questionnaire composed of 54 multiple-choice questions. Our findings suggest that caregivers need more information on the disease’s management, as well as on how to deal with the stress due to the disease burden. Moreover, a negative perception about the services offered from the local administration emerged. Assistive technology (AT) could be useful in promoting interaction between general practitioners and specialized centers for diagnosis, pharmacological and psychosocial treatments, and in saving costs. Moreover, case manager could follow patients and support family members within the care pathway, besides collecting and sharing information among the different health professionals involved. Further studies should be aimed at investigating whether AT and/or the use of specific educational strategies could be the right approach for meeting the needs of families living with dementia.
Health Information Exchange Organizations and Their Support for Research: Current State and Future Outlook
Authors: Parker Carol , Reeves Mathew , Weiner Michael , Adler-Milstein Julia
Published: June 2017

Federal investment spurred health information exchange organization (HIO) development and maturation to provide third-party approaches to electronic health information exchange across disparate electronic health record (EHR) systems. By creating opportunities for data aggregation across multiple medical institutions, HIOs also spur research. Using data from a 2015 national web-based survey of HIOs (N = 64), we identified HIOs supporting or not supporting research, and compared characteristics of the 2 groups. We found that 15 (23%) of the 64 HIOs reported supporting research, 30 (47%) reported planning to support research, and 19 (30%) did not support research. Research-supporting HIOs were more likely than nonresearch supporting HIOs to offer advanced functionality, such as allowing users to query and retrieve data from multiple sources. Our study offers encouraging preliminary evidence that HIOs are supporting research, which could offer a solution to current challenges in creating comprehensive longitudinal clinical data sources for research.
Book Review: Kalpana Kannabiran and Asha Hans (Eds), India Social Development Report 2016: Disability Rights Perspective
Authors: Vaidya Shubhangi
Published: June 2017

Kalpana Kannabiran and Asha Hans (Eds), India Social Development Report 2016: Disability Rights Perspective. New Delhi: Council for Social Development and Oxford University Press, 2016, 356 pp., ₹995, ISBN: 978-0199474431.
Fissures of a Blue Revolution: The Ramponkars’ Response to Mechanised Fishing in Goa
Authors: Somayaji Ganesha , Coelho Joanna P.
Published: June 2017

This article is a critique of the project modernity from the vantage point of an indigenous occupational community of Goa which for centuries has been pursuing sustainable livelihood practices. It revolves around the traditional occupation of fishing in the context of modernist threat it faces. Informed by the theoretical insights provided by Frank’s theory of development of underdevelopment, this article argues that our understanding of environmental change as a social process is inextricably linked with the expansion and contradiction of the world economic system. While delineating Frank’s theory of underdevelopment as theoretical support, it captures the indigenous knowledge systems of the fishing community of Goa, highlighting its ecological sensitivity. It then addresses the changes that have affected this community in the wake of enforced modernisation and development. It specifically focuses on the social movements carried out by the traditional fishermen of Goa in an attempt to protect their traditional fishing practices.
Child lead poisoning in South Africa: implications for psychological research
Authors: Barnes Brendon R
Published: June 2017

Lead is a toxic heavy metal that is associated with lowered intelligence quotient scores, behavioural problems, and physical health impairments in children. Current consensus is that there is no safe level of child lead exposure and that even low doses of lead can have negative effects. Several reviews conducted in South Africa have revealed the sources and potential risk factors associated with child lead poisoning. However, no South African reviews have focused on the quality of studies focusing on child lead poisoning and psychological outcomes (intelligence, cognitive, and behavioural outcomes). This study reviews epidemiological studies of child lead poisoning with a particular focus on the association between child lead poisoning and psychological outcomes in South Africa over a 30-year time span (1986–2016). The review pays particular attention to study design, measurement, sampling, and confounding variables. Nine studies that measured child lead poisoning were included in the review. Just two of the nine studies (one cross-sectional and one follow-up) measured psychological outcomes and neither study adequately adjusted for confounding. In all studies, sampling was purposive and lead exposure indicators were suited to short-term acute exposure. There is, therefore, insufficient evidence to determine the magnitude of the association between child lead poisoning and psychological outcomes in South Africa. More rigorous epidemiological studies are needed to strengthen the evidence base. The article also highlights opportunities for psychological research in intervention studies and studies that are framed by an environmental justice agenda.
The Emergence of the Sharing Economy: Implications for Development
Authors: Hira Andy , Reilly Katherine
Published: June 2017

With the spread of internet-based technologies, the sharing economy is emerging as a new and rapidly growing sector of the economy. This sector offers transformative potential for many other sectors of the economy, and possibilities for new economic activity and growth in the developing world. The sharing economy is a misnomer, as while there are possibilities for more cooperative economic approaches, the primary emphasis is on the reduction of transaction costs including the elimination of middlemen in sales between a good/service provider and a customer. In this introductory article to the special edition, we provide an overview of both the positive and negative potential for the contribution of the sharing economy to development. On the one hand, we find that the reduction in transactions costs and the low price of mobiles improves access to goods and services, and reduces the need for economies of scale for marginalized groups who lack access to capital and infrastructure. However, we point to the real obstacles that the poor experience in using internet-based platforms to start businesses or accumulate capital. We discuss the potential for labour substitution of traditional service providers, such as taxi drivers. In juxtaposition to some of its claimants, we find that the sharing economy changes the nature of institutional, regulatory and promotional challenges by the state and social groups, rather than reducing the need for them.
Romeo and Juliet and ekphrastic criticism in practice
Authors: Fischer Susan L
Published: June 2017

The act of reading and re-viewing stage performance, of re-presenting or re-visualizing a mise-en-scène through ‘verbal painting’ may be fruitfully considered through the ancient rhetorical process of ekphrasis (‘a speech that brings the subject matter vividly before the eyes’) and its defining quality of enargeia (‘vividness’). It is an approach that makes listeners (and readers) into ‘spectators’. This foray into ancient rhetorical practice, with its focus on impact rather than mere analysis, is intended to penetrate the process of re-viewing and critiquing performance, taking as an example Rupert Goold’s production of Romeo and Juliet with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2010.
Two-kidney one-clip is a pertinent approach to integrate arterial hypertension in animal models of stroke: Serial magnetic resonance imaging studies of brain lesions before and during cerebral ischemia
Authors: Ménard Benjamin , Chazalviel Laurent , Roussel Simon , Bernaudin Myriam , Touzani Omar
Published: June 2017

Although chronic arterial hypertension (CAH) represents the major comorbid factor in stroke, it is rarely integrated in preclinical studies of stroke. The majority of those investigations employ spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) which display a susceptibility to ischemic damage independent of hypertension. Here, we used a renovascular model of hypertension (RH) to examine, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), brain alterations during the development of hypertension and after brain ischemia. We also examined whether MRI-derived parameters predict the extent of ischemia-induced brain damage. RH was induced according to the two-kidney one-clip model and multiparametric MRI was performed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks after hypertension and also at 10, 50, and 60 min following stroke. Blood pressure values increased progressively and reached a plateau at 6 weeks after RH induction. At 12 weeks, all hypertensive animals displayed spontaneous brain lesions (hemorrhages, deep and cortical lesions, ventricular dilatation), increased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in the corpus callosum and higher fractional anisotropy in the cortex. Following ischemia, these animals showed larger brain lesions (406 ± 82 vs. 179 ± 36 mm3, p < 0.002) which correlated with ADC values at chronic stage of hypertension. This model of hypertension displays many characteristics of the neuropathology of human CAH. The use of this model in stroke studies is relevant and desirable.
Moving Beyond the Influence of Neighbors on Policy Diffusion: Local Influences on Decisions to Conduct Property Tax Reassessment in New York
Authors: Eom Tae Ho , Bae Hyunhoe , Kim Soojin
Published: June 2017

Over the past few decades, research on policy adoption and diffusion has grown rapidly. Despite the relatively large number of publications, however, little attention has been paid to the important question of why a policy is differently implemented or diffused across governments. To answer this question and improve our understanding of local policy choice beyond widely cited neighboring influences, we closely examine the roles of three main policy actors—internal actors, external actors, and go-betweens—in the local policy diffusion process, drawing particularly upon property tax reassessment scenarios. In addition, we focus on nested institutional arrangements, including form of government and type of property tax assessor, that affect the policy decisions of internal actors. Using data on cities and towns in New York State for 1993-2010, we estimate event history models of property tax reassessment activities. Our findings reveal that regional interactions with neighbors that have already adopted the policy and top-down go-betweens through positive inducements can help facilitate property tax reassessment across municipalities. Reformed municipal governments in the council-manager form, along with appointed assessors, are also most likely to adopt reassessment policy frequently, compared with other institutional arrangements. Overall, this study advances the policy diffusion literature by exploring the roles of different influences through a more detailed, broader approach.
The Arizona Market
Authors: Sredl Katherine C. , Shultz Clifford J. , Brečić Ružica
Published: June 2017

Through this longitudinal study of a historically significant, complex, conflicted and evolving macromarketing space, Bosnia’s Arizona Market, the authors reveal that marketing systems are not merely random artifacts of human behavior; rather, they are adaptive, purposeful, can be pernicious and/or provisioning, and ultimately—if they are to reflect our humanity—must be well integrated into other prosocial systems to affect the best possible outcomes for all stakeholders. By engaging with a marketing system in a post-conflict, divided society, we are better able to understand the genesis and evolution of markets and marketing systems; the relationships among war economy, peace accords, and the ways that post-war marketing systems create community, provide for community needs, and create new vulnerabilities for some community members. The authors conclude with a discussion of implications for sustainable peace and prosperity in Bosnia and in other post-conflict marketing systems, and suggestions for future research.
An optimal ultrasonographic diagnostic test for early gout: A prospective controlled study
Authors: Norkuviene Eleonora , Petraitis Mykolas , Apanaviciene Indre , Virviciute Dalia , Baranauskaite Asta
Published: June 2017

Objective

To identify the optimal sites for classification of early gout by ultrasonography.

Methods

Sixty patients with monosodium urate crystal-proven gout (25 with early gout [≤2-year symptom duration], 35 with late gout [>2-year symptom duration], and 36 normouricemic healthy controls) from one centre were prospectively evaluated. Standardized blinded ultrasound examination of 36 joints and the triceps and patellar tendons was performed to identify tophi and the double contour (DC) sign.

Results

Ultrasonographic sensitivity was lower in early than late gout. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that two ultrasonographic signs (tophi in the first metatarsophalangeal joint [odds ratio, 16.46] and the DC sign in the ankle [odds ratio, 25.18]) significantly contributed to the final model for early gout diagnosis (sensitivity and specificity of 84% and 81%, respectively). The inter-reader reliability kappa value for the DC sign and tophi was 0.712.

Conclusions

Four-joint investigation (both first metatarsophalangeal joints for tophi and both ankles for the DC sign) is feasible and reliable and could be proposed as a screening test for early ultrasonographic gout classification in daily practice.
Perception of Symmetry in Aesthetic Rhinoplasty Patients: Anthropometric, Demographic, and Psychological Analysis
Authors: Abbas Ozan Luay , Kurkcuoglu Ayla , Aytop Cigdem Derya , Uysal Cengiz , Pelin Can
Published: June 2017

Visual perception of symmetry is a major determinant of satisfaction after aesthetic rhinoplasty. In this study, we sought to investigate the existence of any relationship between anthropometric characteristics of the face and visual perceptions of asymmetry among rhinoplasty patients and to evaluate tools that can shed light on patients who appear at high risk for exaggerating potential asymmetries. In the first part, 168 rhinoplasty patients were asked to fill out the demographic questionnaire, nasal shape evaluation scale, and the somatosensory amplification scale. In the second part, we examined the relationship between anthropometric characteristics of the face and visual perceptions of asymmetry using standardized photographs of 100 medical students. In the third part, patients answered the rhinoplasty outcome evaluation questionnaire 6 months after the surgery. Objectively, no symmetrical face was observed in the anthropometric evaluation. Subjectively, only 73% and 54% of the faces were considered asymmetrical by the rhinoplasty and the control groups, respectively. The rate of asymmetry perception was significantly greater in revision patients when compared with primary rhinoplasty patients. The relationship between the rate of subjective perception of asymmetry and the somatosensory amplification scale scores was statistically significant. We found a significant inverse relationship between the rate of asymmetry perception and the rhinoplasty outcome evaluation scores. Plastic surgeons should be aware of this high selectivity in asymmetry perception, which is associated with poor postoperative satisfaction. Somatosensory amplification scale may help identify rhinoplasty patients at a high risk for exaggerating potential asymmetries.

Level of Evidence: III.
Developmental coordination disorders and sensory processing and integration: Incidence, associations and co-morbidities
Authors: Allen Susan , Casey Jackie
Published: June 2017

Introduction

Children with developmental coordination disorder or sensory processing and integration difficulties face challenges to participation in daily living. To date there has been no exploration of the co-occurrence of developmental coordination disorders and sensory processing and integration difficulties.

Method

Records of children meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – V criteria for developmental coordination disorder ( n = 93) age 5 to 12 years were examined. Data on motor skills (Movement Assessment Battery for Children – 2) and sensory processing and integration (Sensory Processing Measure) were interrogated.

Results

Of the total sample, 88% exhibited some or definite differences in sensory processing and integration. No apparent relationship was observed between motor coordination and sensory processing and integration. The full sample showed high rates of some difficulties in social participation, hearing, body awareness, balance and motion, and planning and ideation. Further, children with co-morbid autistic spectrum disorder showed high rates of difficulties with touch and vision.

Conclusion

Most, but not all, children with developmental coordination disorder presented with some difficulties in sensory processing and integration that impacted on their participation in everyday activities. Sensory processing and integration difficulties differed significantly between those with and without co-morbid autistic spectrum disorder.
Service Use and Unmet Needs for Substance Use and Mental Disorders in Canada
Authors: Urbanoski Karen , Inglis Dakota , Veldhuizen Scott
Published: June 2017

Objective:

To investigate patterns and predictors of help seeking and met/unmet needs for mental health care in a national population health survey.

Method:

Participants were respondents to the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey on Mental Health (CCHS-MH; n = 25,133). We used regression to identify the diagnostic and sociodemographic predictors of the use of informal supports, primary care, and specialist care, as well as perceived unmet needs.

Results:

Eleven percent of Canadians reported using professionally led services for mental health or substance use in 2012, while another 9% received informal supports. Two-thirds of people with substance use disorders did not receive any care, and among those who did, informal supports were most common. Seventy-four percent of people with mood/anxiety disorders and 88% of those with co-occurring disorders did access services, most commonly specialist mental health care. Men, older people, members of ethnocultural minorities, those not born in Canada, those with lower education, and those with higher incomes were less likely to receive care. Unmet needs were higher among people with substance use disorders.

Conclusions:

Gaps in services continue to exist for some potentially vulnerable population subgroups. Policy and practice solutions are needed to address these unmet needs. In particular, the convergence of research pointing to gaps in the availability and accessibility of high-quality services for substance use in Canada demands attention.