bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Departmental Leadership for Professional Learning Communities
Authors: Vanblaere Bénédicte , Devos Geert
Published: June 2017

Purpose: Department heads play a pivotal role in the functioning of departments in secondary schools. However, quantitative research about the role of departmental leadership for the development of professional learning communities (PLCs) in subject departments in secondary schools remains scarce. As PLCs are seen as promising contexts for teachers’ continuous professional development, it is highly relevant to study how department heads can facilitate PLC characteristics in their department. Research methodology: This study examines how two dimensions of departmental leadership (group- and development-oriented) relate to interpersonal PLC characteristics in departments. Survey data were collected from 248 experienced mathematics and French teachers in 62 departments in secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium). Two multilevel regression analyses were conducted with collective responsibility and reflective dialogue as dependent interpersonal PLC characteristics. We controlled for several demographic teacher variables and structural departmental variables. Findings: Our results nurture optimism about the potential of departmental leadership for interpersonal PLC characteristics. More specifically, teachers who perceive high group-oriented departmental leadership experience more collective responsibility in their department. Furthermore, teachers’ perceptions of both group-oriented and development-oriented departmental leadership are significantly related to the reported frequency of teachers’ reflective dialogues. Implications: This study suggests that department heads play a critical role in facilitating interpersonal PLC characteristics in departments. As a result, department heads need to be carefully selected and adequately supported. As this article is one of the first to offer a quantitative perspective on this matter, it offers an instrument for future studies and informs policy about departmental leadership practices.
Analytical and numerical study based on experimental investigation of different curved sandwich composites manufactured by filament winding process
Authors: Haddad Mohamed , Guillaumat Laurent , Terekhina Svetlana , Crozatier Mathilde
Published: June 2017

Sandwich structures, due to their high stiffness versus lightness ratio, are used progressively in high performance products. In order to design these structures with the most appropriate dimensions and material combinations, relevant mechanical properties must be well understood. This work aims to estimate the elastic properties of composite sandwiches from a curved structure taking into account the manufacturing process. In the case of filament winding process, specimens are necessarily cylindrical or barrel extracted. In our case, these types of structures are tested in 3- and 4-point bending to analyze their behavior experimentally using predictive models and design rules. Different conﬁgurations are adopted for bending tests to analyze and discuss global mechanical behavior. Furthermore, the acoustic emission technique is used to detect the initial appearance of damage mechanisms and to examine their evolution in terms of amplitude peaks and localization. Finally, a correlation between these acoustic emission signals and the damage initiation mechanisms is proposed, considering their effects on the mechanical behavior of each tested material.
A general micromechanical model to predict elastic and strength properties of balanced plain weave fabric composites
Authors: Shokrieh MM , Ghasemi R , Mosalmani R
Published: June 2017

In the present research, a micromechanical-analytical model was developed to predict the elastic properties and strength of balanced plain weave fabric composites. In this way, a new homogenization method has been developed by using a laminate analogy method for the balanced plain weave fabric composites. The proposed homogenization method is a multi-scale homogenization procedure. This model divides the representative volume element to several sub-elements, in a way that the combination of the sub-elements can be considered as a laminated composite. To determine the mechanical properties of laminates, instead of using an iso-strain assumption, the assumptions of constant in-plane strains and constant out-of-plane stress have been considered. The applied assumptions improve the accuracy of prediction of mechanical properties of balanced plain weave fabrics composites, especially the out-of-plane elastic properties. Also, the stress analysis for prediction of strain–stress behavior and strength has been implemented in a similar manner. In addition, the nonlinear mechanical behavior of balanced plain weave composite is studied by considering the inelastic mechanical behavior of its polymeric matrix. To assess the accuracy of the present model, the results were compared with available results in the literature. The results, including of engineering constants (elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio) and stress–strain behavior show the accuracy of the present model.
Motivations and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Self-Initiated Expatriates, Assigned Expatriates, and Immigrant Workers: The Case of Portuguese Migrant Workers in the United Kingdom
Authors: Farcas Diana , Gonçalves Marta
Published: June 2017

Only in recent years have immigrant workers, assigned expatriates, and self-initiated expatriates been distinguished from each other. This study contributes by offering empirically based comparative results based on interviews with 50 Portuguese citizens who moved to the United Kingdom, as self-initiated expatriates, assigned expatriates, and immigrant workers. The findings indicate that Portuguese self-initiated expatriates and assigned expatriates explored their opportunities before leaving Portugal, while immigrant workers explored them after arriving in the United Kingdom. Self-initiated expatriates and immigrant workers were driven by poor labor market situation in Portugal (e.g., unemployment, unchallenging tasks), but pull factors (e.g., professional international experience) were also identified as dominant motivators for both types of expatriates. Participants generally felt that their adaptation was easy in terms of the general (e.g., climate, food) and working (e.g., knowing one’s role and job related activities) environments. Some self-initiated expatriates and immigrant workers noted that their adaptation to interactions with locals and to accommodation was difficult. Patterns emerged linking the three types of migrant workers with motivational drivers for moving abroad and perceptions of cross-cultural adaptation. We discuss these patterns in the light of previous findings and identify future research areas.
Developing Guidelines and Competencies for the Training of Psychedelic Therapists
Authors: Phelps Janis
Published: June 2017

Research since the 1950s has shown that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has had significant positive effects in reductions of specific clinical symptoms and increases in quality of life as measured on a variety of indices. The intensity of focus on evidence-based outcomes, however, has resulted in a paucity of active discussions and research on the core competencies of the therapists themselves. The context of the history of psychedelic research reveals how this neglect of therapist variables occurred. With current discussions of Phase 3 and expanded access research programs for psilocybin-assisted and MDMA-assisted psychotherapies, there will be a great need for competent therapists trained in this clinical specialty. This is particularly the case if less restricted, legal medical use is approved within the next 6 to 10 years. This article is the first review and compilation of psychedelic therapist competencies derived from the psychedelic literature. These six therapist competencies are empathetic abiding presence; trust enhancement; spiritual intelligence; knowledge of the physical and psychological effects of psychedelics; therapist self-awareness and ethical integrity; and proficiency in complementary techniques. A further contribution of this review is a delineation of the 12 fundamental curricular domains of study for the training and development of these therapist competencies. As current legal restrictions evolve, aspects of these training guidelines will develop accordingly.
Uncovering the Skills That Preservice Teachers Bring to Teacher Education: The Practice of Eliciting a Student’s Thinking
Authors: Shaughnessy Meghan , Boerst Timothy A.
Published: June 2017

Although teacher education is the formal means by which novices are prepared for teaching, they come having already had significant experience in schools. Preservice teachers have formed habits of “teaching” which influence their learning to teach. This article reports a study of the specific knowledge of and skills with teaching practice that novices bring to teacher education with respect to one teaching practice, eliciting student thinking in elementary mathematics, and describes the use of a standardized teaching simulation to learn about novices’ skills. The findings reveal details about preservice teachers’ skills and habits of practice at the point that they enter formal teacher preparation. Preservice teachers’ ways of carrying out this particular practice are categorized into three distinct categories: (a) skills that need to be learned, (b) skills that can be built on, and (c) approaches that need to be unlearned.
Exploring Possible Selves Through Sharing Stories Online: Case Studies of Preservice Teachers in Bilingual Classrooms
Authors: Gaines Rachel , Choi Eunjeong , Williams Kyle , Park J. Hannah , Schallert Diane L. , Matar Lina
Published: June 2017

We examined how narrative was used in online classroom discussion as preservice bilingual teachers experimented with possible future selves. Considering associations between narrative and identity construction, we explored the complementary roles of stories from personal past experiences and backgrounds, experience as teacher interns, and imagined experiences of possible future selves as four preservice teachers endeavored to understand what it means to be a teacher of bilingual children. Data came from transcripts of nine computer-mediated discussions (CMDs) incorporated as a classroom activity in a theory-into-practice teacher preparation course. Findings suggest that preservice teachers’ diverse trajectories to becoming bilingual and their motivations for becoming teachers as expressed in narratives during CMD have the potential to increase the specificity and diversity of possible selves for all discussion participants. Narratives shared in discussion allow all preservice teachers to borrow from a library of lived experiences to inform their imagined future teaching selves.
Durational Effects in Final Lengthening, Gapping, and Contrastive Stress
Authors: Berkovits Rochele
Published: June 2017

Lengthening in utterance-final position and in contrastive stress was examined in Hebrew, focusing on the distribution of the durational effect across syllables and within the final syllable. Initially-stressed and finally-stressed bisyllabic key words were read in sentence-final versus nonfinal position, and in contrastive stress versus nonstressed constructions. The results were compared with data from an earlier study of verb gapping. Contrastive stress showed a smaller effect than final lengthening and verb gapping, consistent with the claim that other acoustic parameters are more prominently involved in this process. Utterance-final lengthening and verb gapping principally affected the final syllable regardless of stress, whereas contrastive stress primarily lengthened the stressed syllable. The pattern of progressively greater lengthening within the utterance-final syllable, previously found for stressed syllables, applied to unstressed syllables as well. The finding that target syllables in sentence-final position are characterized by progressive lengthening, unlike those in contrastive stress and gapping, supports the suggestion that utterance-final lengthening is a reflection of deceleration at the end of motor activity. Durational measures of individual syllables within the key word, and of segments in addition to the vocalic portion of the final syllable, reveal differences in the acoustic implementation of different lengthening processes.
Latencies for Naming Bound Morphemes and Words in Kanji
Authors: Yamada Jun
Published: June 2017

Naming latency for kanji was compared under three conditions: (1) the B-B (bound morpheme to bound morpheme) condition where single bound morpheme kanji were presented for naming, (2) the W-W (word to word) condition where two-kanji words were presented with the stimulus kanji used in the B-B condition appearing in the initial position, and (3) the B-W (bound morpheme to word) condition where the stimulus kanji used in the B-B condition were presented but required word-level responses which began with these kanji morphemes. The results showed that, while the response time was not significantly different between the B-B and W-W conditions, it was significantly shorter in these conditions than in the B-W condition. It is concluded that single bound morpheme kanji are generally named by directly accessing phonology rather than first accessing the lexicon.
Orthographic Representation and Resyllabification of English Loan Words in Korean
Authors: Nam Ji Young , Southard Bruce
Published: June 2017

This study examines the orthographic representation of approximately two hundred English words borrowed into Korean. Because English and Korean have different phonemic systems, obvious differences between the Korean borrowing and its English counterpart were expected. Substitutions of one phoneme for another, however, must take into account not only which particular Korean phoneme is substituted for an identical or similar English phoneme, but also the syllable structures of the two languages. That is, new words coming into Korean always obey Korean syllable structure conditions (KSSC). When the syllable structure of an English word conflicts with that of Korean, native speakers intuitively reject the word or make it conform to KSSC. Thus, the psychological reality of the syllable appears especially clearly in borrowing.
Difficult texts: Mark 6.3
Authors: Catchpole David
Published: June 2017

Mark 6.3 suggests in an honour/shame setting that Joseph was the parent rather than the biological father of Jesus.
New directions in Franciscan studies
Authors: Schumacher Lydia
Published: June 2017

Since modern research on medieval thought first began to gather momentum in the late nineteenth century, scholars have held fast to a number of key assumptions about the Franciscan intellectual tradition, which was founded early in the thirteenth century and continues to flourish to this day. In recent years, ground-breaking research has increasingly called these assumptions into question, opening up new directions in the field of Franciscan studies for assessing long-neglected aspects of the Franciscan intellectual tradition and nuancing its supposed relationship to the ‘origins of modernity’.
Institutional failure and farmers' suicides in Andhra Pradesh
Authors: Kumar S. Vijaya
Published: June 2017

Small and marginal farmers are the worst hit by the problems that afflict agriculture. The macro and micro level factors together have created stress among the poor farmers forcing them to commit suicide. These are preventable deaths and with proper reorientation of the policies, the government could rescue the farmers who are in distress conditions. Farmers under distress conditions committing suicide is not a new phenomenon in the state of Andhra Pradesh. In 1987, 27 cotton growers in Warangal and Guntur districts have committed suicide when they lost the entire cotton crop due to pest attack. Similar incidents have been repeated during 1997-98 on a bigger scale and continuing thereafter. However, the government did not pay any attention to identify the root causes and other related risk factors that are forcing farmers into distress conditions. An attempt is made here to examine how some of the macro and micro level factors have led to distress conditions in agriculture, especially how they impacted on the small and marginal farmers.
Slum upgrading and women's empowerment: The experience in Titagarh, West Bengal
Authors: Das Aparna
Published: June 2017

Titagarh's slum upgrading experience demonstrates that social pressure and lobbying, particularly by women's groups, can be very effective in controlling rents, even when there is no legal contract between tenants and landlords. To inculcate a sense of ownership amongst the community, organisations were created to supervise the construction processes and the post-operation and maintenance of the assets created under the programme. Both tenants and landlords were represented in these community organisations. The paper raises two issues pertaining to the design of slum upgrading programmes. The first is that the designers of such programmes have not recognised that while a large number of the poor live in rental housing, there are also many suppliers of housing (i.e. landlords) among the poor. The programme designers perceived these poor communities as homogeneous groups, which meant that the community structures were created under the false perception that the ‘community’ had a common interest. Secondly, it explores the contribution that a community and women's groups in particular, can make towards retaining these assets so that they remain accessible to everyone, irrespective of whether they are tenants or landlords, and ensuring the post-operation and maintenance of these assets. However, in spite of the shortcomings in the design, the group formed in 21 Ward, under the programme, is still going strong and is now actively involved in the credit society which was initiated during the programme. The resulting financial empowerment goes a long way towards consolidating their position within their own families. This initiative has therefore lessened the burden on the municipality and will increase the lifespan of the services which will directly benefit the community. And this programme has shown how important it is to involve the community in implementing such projects.
Sustainable development of rainwater harvesting in drought-prone sub-humid region: Determinants and viable options
Authors: Swain Mrutyunjay
Published: June 2017

The present study analyses viable methods of rainwater harvesting in drought-prone Bolangir and examines different bio-physical and socio-economic factors that influence the performance and sustainability of the water harvesting structures (WHSs). The study reveals that the traditional WHSs have proved to be extremely useful not only in normal years but also in water-scarce years. Most of the factors are favourable for development of WHSs in the sub-humid region like Bolangir. Small size WHSs are advantageous over medium and large irrigation projects in Bolangir because of its uneven and hilly topography. So instead of going for big dams those have already consumed a lot of time and resources but not yet completed, efforts should be made to increase the irrigation coverage through WHSs. The government patronage and convincing stakeholders to increase their participation are urgently required for sustainability of micro level water resources.
Subjective Cohesion as Stress Buffer Among Civilians Working With the Military in Iraq and Afghanistan
Authors: Bierman Alex , Kelty Ryan
Published: June 2017

Recent research shows that civilians who work with the military in war zones are often exposed to life-threatening situations that can create psychological distress. In this study, we examine whether cohesion buffers the relationship between threat and psychological distress. Using a probability sample of civilians working with the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, we find that cohesion buffers the relationship between threat and both internalizing and externalizing forms of emotional distress, but does so nonlinearly, with buffering observed at moderate but not high levels of cohesion. This research shows that cohesion may be an important resource for the mental health of civilians working in war zones but also supports sociological theory positing that the utility of social resources for individual well-being may be obviated in tightly integrative social contexts.
Does Early-Life Misfortune Increase the Likelihood of Psychotropic Medication Use in Later Life?
Authors: Morton Patricia M. , Ferraro Kenneth F.
Published: June 2017

Life-course research has linked childhood experiences to adult mental illness, but most studies focus on anxiety or depressive symptoms, which may be transient. Therefore, this study investigates whether childhood misfortune is associated with taking psychotropic medication, a measure reflecting an underlying chronic mental disorder. Data are from three waves of a national survey of 2,999 U.S. men and women aged 25–74 years. Four domains of childhood misfortune (childhood socioeconomic status, family structure, child maltreatment, and poor health) are considered—specified as separate domains and a single additive measure—as key predictors of psychotropic medication use. Findings reveal an association between additive childhood misfortune and adult psychotropic medication use, net of adult risk factors. Psychotropic medication use is also more likely during the 20-year study for adults who experienced maltreatment and poor health during childhood. These results reveal the importance of early intervention to reduce consumption of psychotropic medications and associated costs.
A Note on the Rise and Decline of Strong Policy Leadership
Authors: Wallis Joe , Dollery Brian
Published: June 2017

This paper seeks to extend Little’s (1988) theory of strong leadership. It links the demand for strong leadership to the prominence of economic rationalism during a period (the 1980s) when the authority of an interventionist policy paradigm had diminished. It shows how strong leadership is collectively supplied by a network that use “expression games” to strengthen its internal cohesion and differentiate relevant alternatives. The inflexibility of strong leadership and its tendency to generate anxiety led to an increased demand for more empathetic leadership during the 1990s. Although leaders pursuing this style helped consolidate the comprehensive reforms by facilitating adjustment to the “new realities”, their style also contained fatal flaws that are likely to generate disappointments and an eventual shift to a more pragmatic leadership style. A number of caveats to the application of this cyclical scheme that relates succeeding leadership styles to the stages of paradigmatic reform are considered.
Decision Processes and Decision-making in Relation to Sustainable Development and Democracy – Where Do we Stand?
Authors: Söderbaum Peter
Published: June 2017

A number of approaches to decision processes and decision-making have been proposed. These include Cost-Benefit Analysis, Multi-Criteria Approaches, Environmental Impact Assessment, and Positional Analysis (as a form of Systems Approach). While these all claim to be useful in illuminating or solving specific problems related to environment and development, the meta-level question remains – how do we choose among approaches to decision-making? Is there a meta-approach to the choice among approaches?

While not claiming to give the final answer, I hope that the question will at least be illuminated here. Each approach is related to criteria such as theory of science, paradigm, ideology, ways of dealing with sustainable development and democracy. This information is summarized in a profile for each method. The profiles are then used to discuss the pros and cons of different methods. It is concluded that CBA does not very well match the criteria suggested while the three other methods, each have something to offer.
Ecological Economics: Moving towards a Transdisciplinary Research on Sustainability
Authors: Shi Tian
Published: June 2017

This paper attempts to articulate the rise of ecological economics as a transdisciplinary approach on the research of sustainability. Intensive debates on the relationships between socio-economic development and ecological-environmental conservation have arisen since the 1960s. An emerging field of ecological economics has shifted the focus of the debates from limits of growth to sustainable development. This alternative interpretation goes beyond the perspective of neoclassical economics to view economy and humans as subsystems of ecosystems. In theory, the major objectives of ecological economics are to fill the gap between ecology and economics and to advocate a common framework that encourages productive dialogue and synthesis across a broad range of disciplines and approaches. In practice, it calls for control mechanisms to keep economic systems in balance with ecosystems. Highlighted is the view that ecological economics promotes a transdisciplinary approach that goes beyond the narrow boundaries of conventional disciplines to develop an alternative perspective on human-natural interactions as basis for effective policies for sustainability.
Numerical Approaches to the Nonlinear Stability Analysis of Single Layer Reticulated and Grid-Shell Structures
Authors: Borri Claudio , Chiostrini Sandro
Published: June 2017

The paper illustrates the characteristics of a procedure for evaluating the buckling and post-buckling behaviour and the influence of imperfections on reticulated and grid-shells structures. The presentation is composed by two steps: firstly, a simple way to comprehend the effects of initial imperfections by means of an “equivalent” fictitious load vector, acting on the ideal design structure, is presented. The fictitious load's characteristics are evaluated so to qualitatively reproduce the behaviour of an unknown structure, affected by an arbitrary distribution of small geometry variations with respect to the design structure. The second step allows to detect exactly the position of critical points and to trace the secondary equilibrium paths by means of a perturbation technique. Numerical examples illustrate the characteristics and performances of the approaches and suggest practical applications.
On Numerical Results of Reticulated Shell Buckling
Authors: Rothert Heinrich , Gebbeken Norbert
Published: June 2017

This paper is mainly focused on the numerical methods which are used to calculate realistically the load-carrying behaviour of reticulated shell structures. It is generally assumed that for an economical analysis, aimed at the saving of material, the material non-linearity has to be taken into consideration if dead loads prevail. For this in the context of finite element analysis the stiffness matrices of elastic and elastic-plastic rod elements are presented.

In order to ensure the stability of structures it is indispensable to detect limit loads such as snap-through loads and bifurcation loads. Assuming that snap-through phenomena are quasi static, path-following algorithms can be implemented to trace the load-deflection curves in the postbuckling domain.

The testing of the reliability and stability of the algorithms requires a sufficient number of numerical examples. Few will be presented.
Shape Control and Kinematic Waves in Large Statically Determinate Structures in Space
Authors: Bujakas V.I.
Published: June 2017

Statically determinate designs are free of thermal stress, their assembly is possible with small efforts and static shape control by changing members length with small forces is available. For these reasons large statically determinate structures can be proposed as promising candidates for various space projects.

Large one-dimensional linear, axially-symmetrical, and two-dimensional statically determinate controllable structures are developed and analyzed. Kinematic waves arising during static shape control are found and described. Algorithms of shape control are proposed.
Spatial Stiffening Diaphragm Systems
Authors: Tibi Ariel , Burt Michael , Tatsa Elisha
Published: June 2017

Spatial helicoid diaphragms as stiffening systems in multi-storey buildings can achieve the following advantages: 1. increase resistance to horizontal forces. 2. increase stability against buckling.

The development from horizontal diaphragms, which are common these days, through inclined diaphragms, to spatial stiffening diaphragm systems is discussed in the paper. Examples from nature, as shown in the paper provide a basis for further research and development.
Fear of Crime and Mass Media Crime Reports Testing Similarity Hypotheses
Authors: Willem Winkel Frans
Published: June 2017

One function of the mass media is to provide the public with news on the discovery, tracking and prosecution of criminal offenses. In this paper, we discuss the effects such reporting may have on their audiences’ fear of crime. We begin with a brief survey of theories dealing with the relation between (ear and crime reports. It is of interest to observe that in the literature one finds references to a positive relationship (increase of fear), to a negative relationship (reduction of fear) and to claims that no relationship exists at all (zero effects). Our theoretical survey leads us to formulate five hypotheses, each of which will be tested experimentally. In closing we offer a summary of the more important test results and of the conclusions derived from them.
Classifying Victims: a Proposed Multidimensional Victimological Typology
Authors: Landau Simha F. , Freeman-Longo Robert E.
Published: June 2017

Although recent years have witnessed a growing number of studies in victimology, relatively little attention has been paid to the development of classification systems in this field. This paper reviews the existing typologies and points at their primary limitation, namely, their unidimensionality. Hence, the field presently lacks a systematic conceptual framework. After suggesting a revised definition of victim, a multidimensional victimological typology is proposed comprising the following eleven dimensions: the source of victimization: legal framework: intentionality of the perpetrator: identification of the victim: victim vulnerability: the victim's perception of victimization: others' perception of victimization: type of victimization: the severity of victimization/harm: the victim-offender relationship: and the victim's contribution to the event. The various categories within these dimensions are discussed and suggestions are put forward for further developing and refining this conceptual framework.
Recreational 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine or ‘ecstasy’: Current perspective and future research prospects
Authors: Parrott Andrew C , Downey Luke A , Roberts Carl A , Montgomery Cathy , Bruno Raimondo , Fox Helen C
Published: June 2017

Aims:

The purpose of this article is to debate current understandings about the psychobiological effects of recreational 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ‘ecstasy’), and recommend theoretically-driven topics for future research.

Methods:

Recent empirical findings, especially those from novel topic areas were reviewed. Potential causes for the high variance often found in group findings were also examined.

Results and conclusions:

The first empirical reports into psychobiological and psychiatric aspects from the early 1990s concluded that regular users demonstrated some selective psychobiological deficits, for instance worse declarative memory, or heightened depression. More recent research has covered a far wider range of psychobiological functions, and deficits have emerged in aspects of vision, higher cognitive skill, neurohormonal functioning, and foetal developmental outcomes. However, variance levels are often high, indicating that while some recreational users develop problems, others are less affected. Potential reasons for this high variance are debated. An explanatory model based on multi-factorial causation is then proposed.

Future directions:

A number of theoretically driven research topics are suggested, in order to empirically investigate the potential causes for these diverse psychobiological deficits. Future neuroimaging studies should study the practical implications of any serotonergic and/or neurohormonal changes, using a wide range of functional measures.
Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist treatment for sexual offenders: A systematic review
Authors: Lewis Alexandra , Grubin Don , Ross Callum C , Das Mrigendra
Published: June 2017

Background:

Sexual offending is a significant international issue causing long-term consequences for victims, perpetrators and society.

Aims:

The purpose of this study was to review the existing research data assessing the efficacy of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists for treating adult, male, sexual offenders.

Method:

The method of this review involved the examination of studies involving participants prescribed at least one month of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist for the purposes of reducing sexual drive related to offending. The primary outcome measures were recidivism rates and sexual functioning. Secondary outcome measures included assessment of side effects and effects on interpersonal/psychiatric functioning. Studies in the English language that were dated 1969–2015 were included.

Results:

Twelve eligible studies (323 participants) were identified. A reduction in a variety of measures of sexual functioning and/or risk was found in all studies. Robust recidivism data was limited. Medication was rarely described as ineffectual. All studies reported side effects. Reduction in bone density and potential long-term reduction in fertility in some subjects were issues of concern.

Conclusion:

Whilst identified studies showed promising results with respect to sexual functioning, challenges in performing randomised control trials in this subject group meant that included studies were methodologically limited. This review recommends that future research must be performed before the effectiveness and tolerability of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists in this population can be confirmed.
Employee Turnover and Organizational Performance in U.S. Federal Agencies
Authors: Lee Shinwoo
Published: June 2017

Contrary to received wisdom, could turnover actually be good for an organization? Traditional research on turnover in the public management field treats turnover as a dependent variable, emphasizing its negative role on organizational performance without sufficient theoretical or empirical support. With an emphasis on the type of employee turnover as a situational factor, this research establishes the hypothesized relationships between different employee turnovers—employee transfers, quits, and involuntary turnover—and organizational performance, and tests them using panel data from 2010 to 2014 in agencies of the U.S. federal government. Empirical results challenge the accepted belief about the harmful effects of turnover on organizational performance: Turnover can be beneficial for an organization. The results confirm the relationship differs across the type of turnover involved: Employee transfers have an inverted U-shaped relationship with organizational performance, and involuntary turnovers have a linear and positive relationship with organizational performance. Given the use of a perceptual measure of organizational performance by remaining employees, these results imply that a low-to-moderate level of employee transfers is likely to increase organizational performance and that involuntary turnovers—an elimination of employees who presented poor performance or were involved in misconducts—contribute to improving organizational performance.
Functional Chromophobe Adenomas of the Canine Adenohypophysis
Authors: Capen C. C. , Koestner A.
Published: June 2017

Chromophobe adenomas from 8 dogs with clinical signs and lesions of hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's-like disease) were selected for electron microscopic study in order to establish a morphologic basis for active secretion by the neoplastic cells. At the level of ultrastructure there was definite evidence of secretory activity and the organelles concerned with protein synthesis (endoplasmic reticulum) and packaging of secretory products (Golgi apparatus) were well developed. Although the numerous secretory granules present varied in electron density and in size, the most frequently encountered granule measured 170 m μ in diameter. The secretory granules of the neoplastic cells differed from those found within acidophils and basophils of the canine hypophysis. Based on these findings it was concluded that the cells comprising these chromophobe adenomas were actively secreting corticotrophs of the pituitary gland.
Infraglomerular Epithelial Reflux as a Postmortem Phenomenon in the Kidneys of Dog and Rat
Authors: Mullink J.W.M.A. , Feron V. J.
Published: June 2017

The significance of postmortem renal changes for the pathogenesis of infraglomerular epithelial reflux (IER) was examined in a number of experiments with kidneys of the dog and rat.

The reflux can develop after death in both species. Intravital circumstances (e.g., ischemia) may stimulate the postmortem development of IER. The development of IER was accompanied by swelling of tubular epithelial cells and could be provoked by palpation at autopsy. The type of fixative can also influence the degree of the phenomenon, which was more pronounced in ethanol-fixed than in formalin-fixed kidney.

IER has to be considered primarily a postmortem phenomenon and a correct evaluation of IER is only possible if the postmortem treatment of the kidney be exactly known and, in appropriate investigations, has been very well standardized for control and experimental animals.
Occupations outside the home: Experiences of people with acquired brain injury
Authors: Olofsson Alexandra , Nyman Anneli , Larsson Lund Maria
Published: June 2017

Introduction

Understanding those occupations outside the home that people with acquired brain injury find difficult, including the influencing factors, may help to develop appropriate support. The aim of this paper was to explore and describe how people with acquired brain injury experience engagement in occupations outside the home.

Method

This qualitative study included repeated semi-structured interviews with eight working-age persons with acquired brain injury, which were analysed by a constant comparison analysis.

Findings

The findings indicated that there were three influencing factors that had a critical effect on the participants’ changes in their engagement in occupations, the strategies they adopted, and the consequences for their lives. The categories reflected how the different changes in occupations outside the home were influenced by their struggles with sensory processing and fatigue, difficulties with completing preparations, and occupational risks.

Conclusion

The findings indicate that to improve engagement in occupations outside the home for people with acquired brain injury, professionals need to identify the different factors that are critical for each person’s engagement. The findings also indicate the importance of considering not only occupations outside the home but also preparations required at home and recovery afterward, and how engagement outside the home is influenced by the entire occupational repertoire.
Convenience as care: Culinary antinomies in practice
Authors: Meah Angela , Jackson Peter
Published: June 2017

This paper addresses the social and cultural significance of convenience food, often regarded as among the least healthy and most unsustainable of dietary options, subject to frequent moral disapprobation. The paper focuses, in particular, on the relationship between convenience and care, conventionally seen in oppositional terms as a culinary antinomy. Informed by a ‘theories of practice’ approach, the paper presents empirical evidence from ethnographically-informed research on everyday consumption practices in the UK to demonstrate how convenience foods can be used as an expression of care rather than as its antithesis. The paper uses Fisher and Tronto’s theorisation of caring about, taking care of, caregiving and care-receiving to draw out the dynamics of this morally contested social practice.
Reflections on the European Marriage Pattern: Sharecropping and Proletarianization in Casalecchio, Italy, 1861–1921
Authors: Kertzer David I. , Hogan Dennis P.
Published: June 2017

Reviewed in light of evidence from the commune of Casalecchio, the Hajnal thesis and its subsequent reformulations are shown to be in need of modification. With respect to the “Mediterranean marriage pattern” (postulated by Peter Laslett), the Casalecchio evidence shows a strong patrilocal tradition of postmarital residence but not a concomitant early female age at marriage, a large spousal gap, or a small proportion of people who never marry. Moreover, marriage age remained relatively high during the period of proletarianization and the proletarian segment of the community married at much the same ages as the most traditional sharecropping population. The relationship between the impact of industrialization and marriage age in particular is therefore more complex than has been hypothesized.
Family Planning Services: A History of U.S. Federal Legislation
Authors: Davis William L.
Published: June 2017

U.S. Federal legislation related to family planning services for women has been an ongoing process for several decades. Over the years numerous researchers have written about and speculated on many different Congressional acts germane to family planning. Most of these studies, however, have limited their discussions to a specific piece of legislation, its implications, and/or social consequences. The purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive (but relatively brief) history of federal legislation related to family planning services for women of all ages. The list of bills and acts is long and dates back to 1935.
Elastic Modulus of Particulate Composites Using a Multiphase Model
Authors: Spathis G. , Bourkas G. , Kytopoulos V. , Sideridis E.
Published: June 2017

In this paper a theoretical model for the evaluation of the elastic modulus of the particulate composites is presented. The model takes into account the influence of neighbouring spherical inclusions on the stiffness of the composite material consisting of the matrix and filler. A microstructural composite model reproducing the basic cell of the composite at a microscopic scale was transformed to a 4-phase representative volume element in order to apply the classical theory of elasticity to this simplified model of a composite-unit cell.

Theoretical results based on this model were compared with experimental results carried out with iron-particle filled epoxy resin composites and also with other theoretical results derived from other works.
A Preliminary Non-Linear Thermal Constitutive Model of a Special Plastic Material: PTFE
Authors: Yeh Hsien-Yang , Mirviss Robert
Published: June 2017

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a commonly used plastic in the hydraulic sealing industry. Although well used, relatively little information is available concerning physical property relationships. The non-linear mathematical model presented in this study has been developed to use a combination of linear elastic and thermoplastic relationships to describe stress and strain properties for varying temperatures. Three temperature-based con-stants were used to develop the model. Two of the three constants formed relatively smooth slopes as shown on graphs relating them to temperature. Final results from the non-linear mathematical model indicate that most of the predicted values deviate from about 10% of the experimental data.
Failure Analysis of Composite T-Joints Including Inserts
Authors: Rispler Adrian R. , Steven Grant P. , Tong Liyong
Published: June 2017

This paper deals with the experimental evaluation of different insert types placed in the resin rich area of composite T-joints subjected to tension (pull-out) force. A detailed finite element analysis based on ply geometry obtained from an electronic microscope of a T-joint with no insert is presented. Correlation between experimental and the finite element load-deflection curve shows an excellent agreement. Strength prediction for the noinsert configuration based on interply resin failure agrees well with experimental observations and material data.
Polyaniline as Viewed from a Structural Perspective
Authors: Winokur M. J. , Mattes B. R.
Published: June 2017

The local structural ordering of polyaniline (PANI) as emeraldine (i.e., at 50% oxidation) in both its base (EB) and salt (ES) forms has been studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques and these data reinforce the general belief that this local structure is extremely sensitive to the specific processing history. PANI powders precipitated as ES immediately following synthesis lead to reasonably crystalline materials whereas EB films cast from n-methyl pyrrolidine (NMP) solutions containing hydrogen bonding inhibitors are fully amorphous. Dedoping, by further treatments of ES with NH40H solutions, or doping, by immersion of EB in aqueous HF solutions, lead to further changes in the local molecular structure. Many of these structural phases bear a limited resemblance to the previously proposed structures for HCl-doped PANI powder and films [1,2]. The role of water hydration in the structural evolution is also examined and significant structural variations are found to occur in ES at radically different time scales.
Written Language Bursts Mediate the Relationship Between Transcription Skills and Writing Performance
Authors: Limpo Teresa , Alves Rui A.
Published: June 2017

It is established that transcription skills (handwriting and spelling) constrain children’s writing. Yet, little is known about the mechanism underlying this relationship. This study examined the mediating role of bursts and pauses on the link between transcription skills and writing fluency or text quality. For that, 174 second graders did the alphabet task and wrote a story using HandSpy. Path analyses indicated that writing fluency and text quality models were excellent descriptions of the data, with 80% and 46% of explained variance, respectively. Results showed that handwriting and spelling influenced writing fluency only indirectly via burst length and short pauses duration (full mediation); and that whereas only handwriting contributed to text quality directly, both handwriting and spelling contributed to text quality indirectly, via burst length (partial mediation). These findings suggest that better transcription skills allow students to write more words without pausing, which in turn results in more fluent and better writing.
The Hope Research Community of Practice
Authors: Landeen Janet , Kirkpatrick Helen , Doyle Winnifred
Published: June 2017

Background

Clinical nurses have multiple challenges in conducting high-quality nursing research to inform practice. Theoretically, the development of a community of practice on nursing research centered on the concept of hope is an approach that may address some of the challenges.

Purpose

This article describes the delivery and evaluation of a hope research community of practice (HRCoP) approach to facilitate research expertise in a group of advanced practice nurses in one hospital. It addressed the question: Does the establishment of a HRCoP for master’s prepared nurses increase their confidence and competence in leading nursing research?

Method

Using interpretive descriptive qualitative research methodology, five participants were interviewed about their experiences within the HRCoP and facilitators engaged in participant observation.

Results

At 13 months, only four of the original seven participants remained in the HRCoP. While all participants discussed positive impacts of participation, they identified challenges of having protected time to complete their individual research projects, despite having administrative support to do so. Progress on individual research projects varied.

Conclusion

Nurse-led research remains a challenge for practicing nurses despite participating in an evidence-based HRCoP. Lessons learned from this project can be useful to other academic clinical partnerships.