bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The emergence of neo-milk-men in rural setting
Authors: Dahiwale S. M. , Shinde D. K.
Published: January 2017

The study is undertaken on the struggling life of the neo-milk-men. They are from a different caste origin. The dairy job is found to be a source of self-employment to the educated unemployed youths. As a result of the adoption of the job, these neo-milk-men improved their living and economic standards. Thus the green revolution has set the change in traditional occupational pattern.
Empowerment of women-A myth or reality
Authors: Kumar K. Vijaya , Rani S. Vanaja
Published: January 2017

Women in India, account for 40.78 crores as per the 1991 census and constitute the most important target groups in the context of the developmental planning. Therefore, their concerns are to be placed on the priority list of the country's developmental agenda.
State, market and civil society in the era of globalisation
Authors: Dabhi Jimmy
Published: January 2017

While globalisation and the increasing clout of the market hold forth the promise of prosperity, they also have an underside. The global majrket place is not a level playing field, it is dominated by developed countries that use their political clout to adopt protectionist measures and deny these to the poorer countries. IMF styled cuts on public spending then have an adverse effect on the poor. The State, in this context, needs to ensure that the market behaves humanely, apart of course from its role of providing stability and law and order, which are needed for the market to function in the first place. The State however is influenced by vested interests and does not necessarily act in the interests of the people. It is in this context that civil society - that section of society that is distinct from the State and the market, must seek to ensure that the government is transparent and accountable and upholds human rights.
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2004: Provisions, Potentials, Problems
Authors: Sumanjeet
Published: January 2017

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), proposed to be introduced in the next session of the Parliament, represents a historic opportunity for socio-economic transformation in rural India. The NREGA has many remarkable provisions. The Act provides every poor household in rural areas with right to at least 100 days of guaranteed employment every year for at least one adult (18 years or above) member at statutory minimum wages. The guarantee of the work is given for casual and manual work on public works. The work should be provided within 15 days of the demand and within the distance of 5 kilometers. The Act is expected to reduce unemployment in rural India, create enduring assets, augments rural income, reduce migration to urban centres, provide an antidote to inflation and channel community efforts. The main criticism of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is that it would cost too much and would expand opportunity for corruption.
Implementation of policies and programmes in higher education for disavantaged sections
Authors: Rao K.Sudha , Chatrapathi Arti
Published: January 2017

Existing policies and programmes, provisions and protective measures, designed to ensure equitable access to higher education institutions are reviewed, and the actual state of implementation analysed. Facilitating policies and provisions such as the reservation policy, the roster system (to ensure representation at all levels), infrastructural facilities, financial assistance in the form of scholarships and fellowships, and schemes like remedial teaching coaching classes are profiled. The study suggests a need for a special thrust on implementation of policies and provision to guarantee rights of deprived women and the physically challenged.
Financing a national minimum social security
Authors: Kurian N. J. , Khawas Vimal
Published: January 2017

Social security is a concern for everybody. It mainly concerns itself with poverty, hunger, and social oppression. It affects our daily life: and protects our health, the family, old age and employment. Universally recognised as a basic human need, it makes a decisive contribution to establishing greater social justice, without which no lasting peace would be possible. In the Indian context, both Central and State Governments have taken a number of initiatives to extend social security cover to bona fide citizens. However, the social security entitlements backed by legislation have been mainly for workers in the organised sector while legislation-backed entitlements for the unorganised sector are limited for workers only in certain occupations. The ordinary citizens who do not work or are unemployed are entirely outside the purview of social security cover. The vast majority of the workers in India are self-employed or when employed will more likely to be in the unorganised lector. Agriculture, which accounts for close to 60 per cent of the labour force in the country is the best example for this. Only less than 10 per cent of the labour force is in the organised sector enjoying the full benefit of social security. Innovative and dedicated sources of funding for a comprehensive social security system for the unorganised sectors is a crying need today. The fund requirements for such a system will be substantial. To begin with, one should think in terms of a national minimum social security scheme.
Educational ‘inequality’ and teacher ‘performance’ in Andhra Pradesh: Challenges ahead
Authors: Vidyasagar K.
Published: January 2017

This paper is aimed at understanding the status of primary school education that is afflicted with several ills. Although the educational problem has got multiple dimensions, the issue of teacher performance assumed significance. Educational inequality, quality, and teacher performance seem to have challenged not only governments at all levels but the people at large. Official records speak volumes on this educational predicament that affect the marginalised more than others. In this context, this paper attempts to discuss all such developments that impinge upon the prevailing educational scenario in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Since the policies and programmes of the Union government also impacts on the status of education at the state level, an attempt is made to delineate some national interventions. While presenting a critical review of certain institutional initiatives at various levels, this paper analyses immediate concerns that deserve the attention of state and non-state agencies. As part of assessing the contribution of several stakeholders towards strengthening school management that is a major challenge of the times, this study explores other related issues.
Amenity migration to mountain regions: Current knowledge and a strategic construct for sustainable management
Authors: Glorioso Romella S. , Moss Laurence A.G.
Published: January 2017

Amenity migration has become an important force for change in non-metropolitan high amenity places around the world. Here the focus is on these places in mountain regions that attract permanent and part-time residents because of their comparatively rich concentrations of the earth's remaining natural environment and differentiated culture. Drawing on their own and others’ research and related community development experience, amenity migration, and its dependent economic migration, is identified and their socio-cultural, economic and biophysical effects are described. Although this migration has brought benefits to mountain regions, with exceptions, its characteristic result to date has been a degrading of mountain ecologies along with a complex mixture of positive and negative socio-cultural and economic outcomes. The public, private and volunteer sectors responses to this phenomenon are outlined, and the authors go on to suggest that the benefits of amenity migration could be greater, if this phenomenon was much better understood and managed for ecological sustainability. At the same time, its present negative effects could be reduced or reversed. Strategic analysis, a methodology that was instrumental in formulating the amenity migration construct described here, is explained and this framework and analytical method are proposed for managing amenity migration in mountain regions. The paper also discusses amenity migration in economically developing countries and its relationship to indigenous peoples. However, the very little information available to date on these two subjects has handicapped this objective. In closing the authors suggest research priorities for amenity migration in mountain regions.
Community Financing of Local Ivermectin Distribution in Nigeria: Potential Payment and Cost-Recovery Outlook
Authors: Onwujekwe O E , Shu E N , Okonkwo P O
Published: January 2017

The preferred payment mechanism in a community financing scheme for local ivermectin distribution was elicited from randomly selected household heads from three communities in Nigeria using interviewer-administered structured questionnaires. The majority of the respondents in the three communities were prepared to pay for local ivermectin distribution. Additionally, the average amounts the respondents were prepared to pay per person treated ($0.28, $0.30 and $0.38 in Nike, Achi and Toro, respectively) were all more than the $0.20 ceiling recommended by the partners of the African Programme on Onchocerciasis Control (APOC). Thus, the cost-recovery outlook is bright in these communities. However, the preferred payment modality varied. Fee-for-service was the predominant payment modality in the Achi and Nike communities, while the Toro community preferred pre-payment. This study demonstrates that many communities have different payment preferences for endemic disease control efforts. This knowledge will help in developing acceptable and sustainable schemes. The imposition of unacceptable payment mechanisms will lead to an unwillingness to pay.
A Survey to Gather Sexually Transmitted Disease Epidemiological and Management Data in the Solomon Islands
Authors: Lucas Richard E
Published: January 2017

A survey of 15 clinics and hospitals in the Solomon Islands (a South Pacific nation with a 45% rate of penicillin-resistant gonorrhoea) was undertaken to audit the quality of sexually transmitted diseases data collection, adherence to public health fundamentals and knowledge of the national gonorrhoea management guidelines. With the exception of one town clinic, data collection was limited, syphilis serological testing was low (28%) and correct knowledge of the national gonorrhoea treatment guidelines was also limited to 4/8 clinics (50%). Contact tracing was definitely undertaken in 2/8 (25%) of clinics. A high male/female notification ratio (3.6:1) for gonorrhoea was detected. Solomon Island clinics may be typical of other South Pacific Island communities in their inadequate attention to public health fundamentals. Every effort should be made to identify these shortcomings and provide feedback to clinic health workers to improve this service, particularly in the context of the more recent arrival of the HIV epidemic in the region.
Antimicrobial Resistance in the Tropics
Authors: Shears Paul
Published: January 2017

Bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents is an increasing problem in many areas of the tropics. In most countries there is little information available to determine the patterns of resistance in different pathogens, nor are local data available to influence prescribing. This paper will review the development of antimicrobial resistance in the tropics, consider the current priority problems, and suggest strategies that may be taken to improve the surveillance of resistance.
Obstetric and Gynaecological Patients in an Intensive Care Unit: A 1 Year Review
Authors: Platteau P , Engelhardt T , Moodley J , Muckart D J J
Published: January 2017

Management of the critically ill patient forms a significant proportion of obstetric and gynaecological (O & G) practice. There have however, been very few reports on the management of such patients in intensive care units (ICU). We review all O & G patients admitted to the surgical ICU at King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, South Africa, and make recommendations regarding management of such patients.

The medical records of all O & G patients admitted to the surgical ICU between the period January–December 1992 were analysed. Of all admissions to the ICU 13.6% ( n = 122) were O & G patients. Eclampsia was the most common diagnosis accounting for 66% of all obstetric admissions. Of all eclamptics in the study period 24% were admitted to the ICU. The overall maternal mortality was 21%.

O & G patients form a major workload of surgical ICUs and the majority of these patients are women with eclampsia. Management of such patients requires an understanding of the physiological changes of normal and abnormal pregnancies. Therefore, all large obstetrical units in developing countries should establish their own ICU in order that patient care, health personnel training and continuing health care education may be improved.
Reflections on the Scope of Practice in the South African Profession of Psychology: A Moral Plea for Relevance and a Future Vision
Authors: Pretorius Gertie
Published: January 2017

My aim in this article is to critically reflect on the newly promulgated Scope of Practice for psychologists and to make a moral plea for the profession to become more relevant in South Africa. I draw on the clinical/medical and scientific discourse (Eurocentric vs. Afrocentric) that permeates the profession to demonstrate that a discourse of power operates in the Scope of Practice debates. Thereafter I reflect on the profession of psychology in South Africa and argue that the Scope of Practice is fundamental to the relevance of the profession. I conclude with a moral plea to professionals for the profession to transform from one-on-one counselling, as the sole means of working, to include curative, preventative, and developmental interventions.
Death Attitudes Among Middle-Aged Koreans: Role of End-of-Life Care Planning and Death Experiences
Authors: Hong Michin , Hong Seunghye , Adamek Margaret E. , Kim Mee Hye
Published: January 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting death attitudes among middle-aged Koreans. In addition, the study explored the interaction effect between knowledge about end-of-life care planning and the experience of death of family or friends on death attitudes. The sample was obtained from a national survey with middle-aged adults in South Korea ( n = 2,026). Multivariate regression analysis revealed significant main effects and an interaction effect between knowledge about end-of-life care planning and the experience of death on death attitudes. Greater knowledge of end-of-life care planning was associated with more positive attitudes toward death; however, the effect was stronger for those who had not experienced the death of family or friends. Being older and having greater life satisfaction were also associated with more positive attitudes toward death. This study suggests that end-of-life education can help middle-aged adults embrace the final stage of life and prepare for their own death.
Spirituality of the Toba/Qom Christians of the Argentine Chaco
Authors: Horst Willis G.
Published: January 2017

The author explores how current Christian expressions of an Indigenous people in the Argentine Chaco have been shaped by their previous spirituality. He goes on to observe transforming effects of the gospel as it permeates the culture. The resulting descriptive picture of Toba/Qom spirituality illustrates the dialectical relationship between the old faith and the new. Readers are invited to consider this often unrecognized but always present dynamic in the ongoing conversion process, as well as its implications for the world church. Special attention is given to the role of missionary accompaniment of the Toba/Qom in the early stages of this process.
Visual CSR Messages and the Effects of Emotional Valence and Arousal on Perceived CSR Motives, Attitude, and Behavioral Intentions
Authors: Chung Sungwon , Lee Sun Young
Published: January 2017

Companies have frequently used visuals (e.g., still images and videos) as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication strategies, and those visuals often contain emotional content. As yet, however, scholars and practitioners have little understanding of how emotional design influences the effectiveness of CSR communication. This study examined how the emotional valence and arousal generated from contextual images in CSR messages affected the perceived CSR motives of companies, attitude toward the companies, purchase intention, and CSR participation intention. The results of a 2 (valence: positive vs. negative) × 2 (arousal: calm vs. arousing) experiment showed that arousing negative images elicited the highest level of attributing public-serving CSR motives to companies, the most favorable attitude toward the companies, and the strongest purchase intention, and CSR participation intention. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications.
Racial-Ethnic Socialization and Achievement: The Mediating Role of Academic Engagement
Authors: Banerjee Meeta , Rivas-Drake Deborah , Smalls-Glover Ciara
Published: January 2017

This brief report examined how racial socialization is directly and indirectly related to academic achievement for African Americans attending a predominantly White institution. We expected that students who received more racial socialization would exhibit better academic engagement and this, in turn, would help explain their academic achievement. The sample included 226 African American college students (76% female) between the ages of 18 and 22 years ( Mage = 20.05) who were recruited from the subject pool of the university’s psychology department and through general advertising across the university’s campus. Students participated by completing an online survey. Path analyses indicate that racial socialization messages about cultural pride (i.e., cultural socialization) were associated with academic achievement directly and indirectly through students’ engagement with school. However, racial socialization messages about future barriers were directly associated with academic achievement but not mediated by school engagement. Implications for studying academic engagement and racial socialization in African American college students’ academic achievement are discussed.
Fernando Távora Oporto’s Urban Renewal: A Changing Moment in Urban Rehabilitation Policy Debate
Authors: Moniz Gonçalo Canto , Correia Luís Miguel , Gonçalves Adelino
Published: January 2017

In the late 1960s, Portugal underwent political changes that put the country on the road to the revolutionary process which culminated in 1974. At the National Meeting of Architects (1969), advocates spoke in favor of a new path, one that would encourage architects to assume a greater social role. In this context, the Barredo Urban Renewal Study—a strategic urban plan coordinated by Fernando Távora and presented in 1969—was groundbreaking in its innovative approach to the management policies of the old urban areas of that time, demanding a new cultural and social vision of the city. This research intends to understand the importance of the Barredo Urban Renewal Study, not only in terms of the architect’s new critical awareness but also as a new humanistic approach to urban policies looking for greater urban renewal to be integrated within the scope of local development dynamics.
Management strategies for atrial fibrillation
Authors: Patel Peysh A , Ali Noman , Hogarth Andrew , Tayebjee Muzahir H
Published: January 2017

Atrial fibrillation is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia, affecting 10% of those aged over 80 years. Despite multiple treatment options, it remains an independent prognostic marker of mortality due to its association with clinical sequelae, particularly cerebrovascular events. Management can be broadly divided into treatment of the arrhythmia, via rhythm or rate control, and stroke thromboprophylaxis via anticoagulation. Traditional options for pharmacotherapy include negatively chronotropic drugs such as β-blockers, and/or arrhythmia-modifying drugs such as amiodarone. More recently, catheter ablation has emerged as a suitable alternative for selected patients. Additionally, there has been extensive research to assess the role of novel oral anticoagulants as alternatives to warfarin therapy. There is mounting evidence to suggest that they provide comparable efficacy, while being associated with lower bleeding complications. While these findings are promising, recent controversies have arisen with the use of novel oral anticoagulants. Further research is warranted to fully elucidate mechanisms and establish antidotes so that treatment options can be appropriately directed.
Development and Utilization of New Energy in China
Authors: Shiyuan Qu
Published: January 2017

Since the foundation of the People's Republic of China, the Government has paid attention to the development and utilization of new energy resources. Although their development is rapid at present, it is still regarded as supplementary energy. It has only played an important role in the balance between energy supply and consumption in rural areas, some islands and for some defence purposes. China should conduct studies on the technology for new energy development so that the use of new energy will increase rapidly.
Energy Conservation in China
Authors: Bangcheng Wang
Published: January 2017

Analysis of the characteristics of energy consumption in China shows that conservation is vital to China's economic development. Since 1979, through efforts of various regions and industrial sectors, certain success has been achieved. The moderate increase in energy conservation has contributed to growth of the country's economy. A series of measures have been adopted in administration, management, laws, technology and the economy to strengthen energy conservation. Energy saving in China's steel, building material, chemical and petrochemical industries have been planned and implemented.
Matthew 6:9–13//Luke 11:2–4: An Eschatological Prayer?
Authors: Gibson Jeffrey B.
Published: January 2017

This article argues that in the eyes of Matthew and Luke the so-called Lord's Prayer reflects a perception of Jesus that his disciples are in grave danger of becoming members of “this generation, ” that is, those among Jesus' co-religionists who reject what Jesus shows is God's will for Israel. Its focus and concern is that the disciples invoke God's protection against engaging in this apostasy. Three considerations support this contention: (1) that teaching on the nature of true discipleship is the context in which the Lord's Prayer appears in both Matthew and Luke; (2) that a concern to secure divine aid to be obedient to God's will is the center of the prayers which the Matthean and Lukan Jesus himself prays; and (3) that when read against the Old Testament background which the language of the Lord's prayer evokes, each of the prayer's constituent petitions makes more sense as a plea for protection against disobedience and unfaithfulness than as a call for end time blessings.
Fish Tales
Authors: Batten Alicia J.
Published: January 2017

Although many people throughout the Graeco-Roman world consumed fish, only the wealthy could afford to buy large, fresh fish, which they would feast upon at banquets. Despite the significance of fishing guilds in some contexts, the fisher was generally perceived as a lowly figure, subject to exploitative taxes, tolls, and corruption among the elites. How then, might we make sense of some of the fish tales in the Gospels? Why do the disciples—some of them fishers—get to eat large fresh fish on the beach with the risen Jesus? Why is the fish in Parable of the Fisher in the Gospel of Thomas 8 described as large and good? What might the gospel of Mark be up to in contrasting the banquet of the 5000 in Mark 6:30–44, where the people dine on fresh fish, with the horrid dinner party of Herod Antipas, during which John the Baptist's head arrives on a platter? Finally, what might be the significance of the risen Jesus’ consumption of a piece of broiled fish in Luke 24:41–43?
Buried in the Church: Raised in the Bread! Literary Observations in Mark's Gospel
Authors: Bergeson Bob
Published: January 2017

At the end of Mark's Gospel (16:7) the women are commanded to tell the disciples that they shall “see” the resurrected Jesus in Galilee. Since Mark has no resurrection appearances per se, it becomes an open question as to the form of his appearance. By carefully examining a repeated literary pattern and then a thematic trajectory, we see that Mark does reveal the form of the resurrected Jesus. It is a form that will be seen not only by the first disciples, but by all disciples of every time and place.
Reflections on “Actualization” of the Bible
Authors: Murphy Roland E.
Published: January 2017

The 1993 Document of the Biblical Commission offers much food for thought. The discussion of actualization is helpful to both theologian and preacher. These “reflections” indicate further opportunities for uniting the past with the present.
Is Comparison the Thief of Joy? Sexual Narcissism and Social Comparisons in the Domain of Sexuality
Authors: Day Lisa C. , Muise Amy , Impett Emily A.
Published: January 2017

Are people who are high in sexual narcissism more sensitive to information comparing their sex lives with the sex lives of others? Does this sensitivity explain narcissists’ lower sexual and relationship satisfaction? We conducted three studies to address this question. Participants completed the Sexual Narcissism Scale (Widman & McNulty, 2010), and then either recalled (Study 1), imagined (Study 2), or actually made (Study 3) a sexual comparison. We found that people high in sexual narcissism (compared with those lower in sexual narcissism) were more bothered when comparing themselves with someone with a higher sexual frequency and felt better about a comparison with someone with a lower sexual frequency. In turn, narcissists’ greater sensitivity to upward social comparisons predicted lower sexual and relationship satisfaction. These results suggest that those high in sexual narcissism may use downward sexual comparisons to maintain their grandiose self-views and be particularly sensitive to upward sexual comparisons.
For the Sake of the Eternal Group
Authors: Kahn Dennis T. , Klar Yechiel , Roccas Sonia
Published: January 2017

We introduce the distinction between perceiving the group as Intra-Generational (IG; including only the present generation of group members) and Trans-Generational (TG; including all past, present, and future generations of the group). In four studies ( N = 1,265) administered to Jewish Israeli, Palestinian Israeli, American, and Swedish samples, we demonstrate that a tendency to perceive the group as TG is related to willingness to endure ingroup suffering and that this relationship is mediated by the degree to which the interest of the group as a whole is given primacy over the interest of the group as a collection of group members (Primacy of Interest). Furthermore, experimentally raising the salience of the group as TG leads to increased willingness to endure ingroup suffering as compared with raising the salience of the group as IG, and the effect of the TG salience manipulation is mediated by Primacy of Interest.
Earnings Management Response to Debt Covenant Violations and Debt Restructuring
Authors: Jaggi Bikki , Lee Picheng
Published: January 2017

The study investigates whether the choice of income-increasing or income-decreasing discretionary accruals is related to the severity of financial distress and whether this choice is also influenced by the creditors' waivers of debt covenant violations. Financially distressed firms experiencing debt covenant violations and/or debt restructuring during the 1989–96 period are used to evaluate the management's choice of discretionary accruals. Discretionary accruals are calculated based on four different accrual models.

The results show that managers of financial distressed firms use income-increasing discretionary accruals if they are able to obtain waivers for debt covenant violations, and use income-decreasing discretionary accruals if debt restructuring takes place or debts are renegotiated because waivers are denied. These findings thus provide support to the expectation that the choice of income-increasing or -decreasing discretionary accruals is influenced by the severity of financial distress. They also provide an explanation for divergence in the results of earlier studies on the use of income-increasing or -decreasing discretionary accruals by financially distressed firms.
A Cross-Country Empirical Investigation of Corruption and its Relationship to Economic, Cultural, and Monitoring Institutions: An Examination of the Role of Accounting and Financial Statements Quality
Authors: Kimbro Marinilka Barros
Published: January 2017

This paper empirically tests a model that links economic, cultural, and information/monitoring variables to corruption in 61 countries. The results offer significant evidence to suggest that higher GNP per capita, moderate economic growth, effective legal and financial accounting systems, collectivist values and low power distance are associated with countries that have low corruption. Countries that have better laws, more effective judiciary, good financial reporting standards, and a higher concentration of accountants are found to be less corrupt.
Insider Trading: Regulation in Europe
Authors: Rundfelt Rolf
Published: January 2017

This paper looks at insider trading regulation in Europe and finds a broad spectrum. Two countries, the United Kingdom and Sweden, have insider regulations very similar to those in the United States. The author attributes this to well-developed stock markets and the Swedish search for confidence in their stocks. At the other extreme, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland have no regulation at present.
Periphery, Overlap, and Subunit Exit in Multiunit Firms: A Subunit Power Perspective
Authors: Jun Xia , Yu Jifeng , Lin Yijia
Published: January 2017

Existing studies on subunit power largely rely on the premise that a firm’s subunits are connected through resource exchanges. In this study, we introduce two novel constructs—market periphery and market overlap—to capture the power of subunits that do not directly involve resource exchanges. Drawing on resource dependence theory, we advance a subunit power approach to argue that the dependence of the firm on its subunits for sales can help predict headquarters’ decision on subunit exits in the form of divestiture, dissolution, or spin-off. Using subunit data of a population of U.S. insurance groups in a longitudinal setting, we find that market periphery and overlap increase the hazard of subunit exit. However, a subunit’s relative sales growth reduces the positive effect of overlap on its hazard of exit, whereas external linkage lessens the positive effect of periphery on its hazard of exit.
Computer Applications in Programs for Young Children with Disabilities: Current Status and Future Directions
Authors: Judge Sharon Lesar
Published: January 2017

This study surveyed the current status of computer integration in preschool special education classrooms, including: (a) software selection, (b) use and integration of computer technology, and (c) teachers' attitudes about computer technology, availability, and supports. Surveys were completed by 91 early childhood special education teachers in Tennessee. Findings indicated that: (a) teachers place a high priority on characteristics of developmentally appropriate software, (b) teachers primarily use computer technology to develop and reinforce academic skills, (c) teachers want more training and technical assistance in the use and integration of computer technology, and (d) teachers are asking that software reflect the developmental needs of young children with disabilities. Implications for preservice and inservice preparation and software development are discussed.
An Interactive Multimedia Problem-Based Learning CD-ROM for Teacher Preparation: IDEA-97 Guidelines for Disciplining Students with Disabilities
Authors: Ochoa Theresa A.
Published: January 2017

This article describes a multimedia problem-based learning (PBL) CD-ROM designed to teach educators about the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act discipline guidelines. The Disabilities and School Discipline module has three phases: the narrative introduces educators to the educational problem; the role strands require educators to assume one of 8 roles and is an interactive simulation of the manifestation determination process that requires educators to conduct a functional assessment; in the problem resolution phase, educators compare their solution to the problem to that of professionals. Implications of using multimedia PBL technology in special education teacher preparation courses are discussed.
Social Skills Instruction for Adolescents with Emotional Disabilities: A Technology-Based Intervention
Authors: Cumming Therese M. , Higgins Kyle , Pierce Tom , Miller Susan , Boone Randall , Tandy Richard
Published: January 2017

This study explored the use of multimedia, student-generated social skills lessons coupled with teacher facilitation to improve the social skills of middle-school students with emotional disabilities. The effects of teacher-led social skills instruction and the combination of teacher-led and multimedia student-generated social skills instruction on the perceived social behaviors of the students were compared. Maintenance of perceived student social skills over time was examined. Also evaluated were the effects of traditional and combined interventions on student knowledge of social skills. The results indicated that both interventions were effective in improving the students' social skills and their knowledge of social skills. Teachers, parents, and students all perceived that student social skills improved over the course of the study. Students appeared to have maintained the improvements from both interventions over the maintenance periods. The participating teachers perceived that the combined intervention was more effective than the traditional intervention in improving maintenance of social skills. However, parents and students did not perceive any differences in the effectiveness of the two interventions or of the two interventions over time on improving students' social skills performance.
Comparison of the Effects of Smart Board Technology and Flash Card Instruction on Sight Word Recognition and Observational Learning
Authors: Mechling Linda C. , Gast David L. , Thompson Kimberly L.
Published: January 2017

This study compared the effectiveness of SMART Board, interactive whiteboard technology and traditional flash cards in teaching reading in a small-group instructional arrangement. Three students with moderate intellectual disabilities were taught to read grocery store aisle marker words under each condition. Observational learning (students learning other group members' words) was also assessed across each condition. The effectiveness of the two procedures was evaluated using an adapted alternating-treatments design (AATD) across two conditions and replicated across students. Results indicated that both SMART Board and flash card instruction were effective in teaching target sight words. However, students read a greater percentage of observational words when words were presented using SMART Board technology.
A Behavioral Weight Reduction Model for Moderately Mentally Retarded Adolescents
Authors: Rotatori Anthony F. , Mauser August , Fox Robert
Published: January 2017

The paper describes a behavioral weight reduction treatment and maintenance program for moderately mentally retarded adolescents.

The model delineates six phases of the program as well as instructional components. The model was devised for implementation by special education teachers and parents. Field data based on the model is reviewed.
Cognitive Restructuring with Behavior Disordered Children
Authors: Prieto Alfonso G. , Rutherford Robert B. , Zucker Stanley H.
Published: January 2017

This study examines the application of psychological reactance with three behaviorally disordered children. The target behaviors were verbal outbursts, yelling out and failure to do math problems. In each case baseline data were collected and an illogical verbal stimulus was then introduced to the subject. The verbal stimulus consisted of an illogical explanation of the cause of the behavior. These illogical explanations included for Subject 1, attribution of behavior to the way his hair was parted; for Subject 2, to the fact that he had freckles; and for Subject 3, that he was not strong enough to hold a pencil. After the introduction of the stimulus, the frequency of Subject l's verbal outbursts and Subject 2'syelling out decreased markedly while Subject 3's completion of math problems increased significantly. The use of this particular technique suggests that some cognitive restructuring may have taken place with each subject.
Video Therapy Case Study: The Therapeutic Use of Edited Videotapes as a Primary Means of Behavioral Intervention in the Shaping of Appropriate Grammatical and Contextual Use of Language
Authors: Haarmann Betsy S. , Greelis Michael T.
Published: January 2017

In this study, the pervasive influence of television (video) and the use of behavioral techniques are combined to demonstrate the viability of video therapy as a primary means of therapeutic intervention. Specially edited videotapes were designed to shape the correct grammatical and contextual use of language in a mentally retarded/schizophrenic, adolescent girl. Techniques used were self-modeling, structured rehearsal, projective rehearsal, and systematic positive reinforcement. Results from this study demonstrate the efficacy of this treatment modality.
Best and worst practice: a case study of qualitative gender balance in Irish broadcasting
Authors: O’Brien Anne , Suiter Jane
Published: January 2017

This article focuses on the gender of voices chosen as sources and presenters of radio news coverage in Ireland. The study examines the best and worst case studies across public and private sector broadcasters and argues that the question of gender balance in broadcasting goes beyond the simple issue of quantitatively proportionate participation to require a more complex and qualitatively fair and balanced presentation of women within news programming. We find a very clear gender bias with male-dominated coverage in both public and private sectors but with greater stereotyping by the latter.
Towards enhancement of a lexicon-based approach for Saudi dialect sentiment analysis
Authors: Assiri Adel , Emam Ahmed , Al-Dossari Hmood
Published: January 2017

Sentiment analysis (SA) techniques are applied to assess aspects of language that are used to express feelings, evaluations and opinions in areas such as customer sentiment extraction. Most studies have focused on SA techniques for widely used languages such as English, but less attention has been paid to Arabic, particularly the Saudi dialect. Most Arabic SA studies have built systems using supervised approaches that are domain dependent; hence, they achieve low performance when applied to a new domain different from the learning domain, and they require manually labelled training data, which are usually difficult to obtain. In this article, we propose a novel lexicon-based algorithm for Saudi dialect SA that features domain independence. We created an annotated Saudi dialect dataset and built a large-scale lexicon for the Saudi dialect. Then, we developed our weighted lexicon-based algorithm. The proposed algorithm mines the associations between polarity and non-polarity words for the dataset and then weights these words based on their associations. During algorithm development, we also proposed novel rules for handling some linguistic features such as negation and supplication. Several experiments were performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm.
Materializing Power to Recover Corporate Social Responsibility
Authors: Gond Jean-Pascal , Nyberg Daniel
Published: January 2017

Through the development of CSR ratings, metrics and management tools, corporate social responsibility is currently materialized at an unprecedented scale within and across organizations. However, the material dimension of CSR and the inherent political potential in this materialization have been neglected. Drawing on insights from actor-network theory and the critical discussion of current approaches to power in CSR studies, we offer an alternative sociomaterial conceptualization of power in order to clarify how power works through materialized forms of CSR. We develop a framework that explains both how power is constituted within materialized forms of CSR through processes of ‘assembling/disassembling’, and how power is mobilized through materialized forms of CSR through processes of ‘overflowing/framing’. From this framework, we derive four tactics that clarify how CSR materializations can be seized by marginalized actors to ‘recover’ CSR. Our analysis aims to renew CSR studies by showing the potential of CSR for progressive politics.
Identity Processes Among Older Norwegians Living in Urban and Rural Areas
Authors: Kalfoss Mary H. , Low Gail , Halvorsrud Liv
Published: January 2017

Guided by the Identity Process Theory, we examined whether 424 Norwegians 60+ years of age would attribute their physical and mental functioning to their health (identity assimilation), to aging itself (identity accommodation), or to both (identity balance). We were also interested in the effect of these attribution styles upon depressive symptoms. Secondary data from the 2004 World Health Organization Quality of Life OLD Group Norwegian Field Study were analyzed using General Linear Model Regression and subsequent Path Analyses. Attributing physical functioning to health as opposed to aging had a negligible effect on depressive symptoms among both study groups. Attributing mental functioning to aging worsened depressive symptoms among rural participants. Attributing mental functioning to health was associated with more positive perceptions of psychosocial loss among urban participants. Positivity toward psychosocial loss lessened depressive symptoms and factors affecting those perceptions differed among rural versus urban participants. Adapting to functional changes in older age is a complex process affecting depressive symptoms.
Empowering the Poor Women for Community Development: A Unique Programme in Alappuzha Town of Kerala
Authors: Bakshi Prakash
Published: January 2017

While a few voluntary agencies such as SEWA Bank in Ahmedabad, MYRADA in Bangalore, and Andhra Mahila Sabha in Hyderabad have been making constant efforts to empower the poor women, the decision-making power has remained in the hands of the individuals who pioneered such efforts.

In this article, Prakash Bakshi discusses a new approach of empowering the poor women of Kerala which has been nurtured by NABARD, state government, and UNICEF and not by a few dedicated individuals.
Men and Women in Transition : Patterns of Stress, Strain, and Social Relations
Authors: Singh Anup K , Sahgal Punam
Published: January 2017

Based on 172 responses to a questionnaire containing various measures of stress, strain, social support, and undermining, this article by Anup K Singh and Punam Sahgal examines patterns of these measures among men and women as well as single and dual career couples.

The results indicate that men experience greater role erosion than women, single career husbands have higher well-being, and working women display higher irritability, anxiety, and depression.
Hurdies to Upgrading Technology: The Story of Indian Foundries
Authors: Ramnarayan S.
Published: January 2017

Based on a field study covering 25 foundries from different parts of the country, this article by S Ramnarayan is an attempt to find out the major blocks for technology upgradation in the foundry industry and how some managers and organizations do keep pace with technological developments despite the hurdles.
Testing Lower Boundary Conditions for Index Options Using Futures Prices: Evidences from the Indian Options Market
Authors: Dixit Alok , Yadav Surendra S , Jain P K
Published: January 2017

Options are the contracts which serve as a tool for risk hedging, price discovery, and better allocation of capital. The efficiency of an options market, i.e., the correctness of option prices denotes that it is working well at its well-identified functions (Ackert and Tian, 2000). In view of this, the efficiency of options market has been of equal interest to the academics as well as practitioners and a number of studies on efficiency of options market have been carried out across the globe in different options markets.

The present paper attempts to assess the pricing efficiency of the S&P CNX Nifty index options in India by testing the Lower Boundary Conditions (LBCs) using futures prices instead of spot values. The methodology adopted essentially tests a joint market efficiency hypothesis of index options and index futures. This has been done in view of the fact that the use of futures markets helps in doing away with the short-selling constraint as futures can easily be shorted. And, it becomes a natural choice for analysis as the short-selling has been banned in the Indian securities market during the period under reference. Moreover, the use of futures markets, to a marked extent, helps in ensuring the exploitability of arbitrage opportunities when underlying asset is an index.

The study covers a period of six years from June 4, 2001 (starting date for index options in India) to June 30, 2007. The major findings of the study are: The put options market is more efficient than the call options market, given the existing market microstructure in India during the period under reference. Another equally important finding is that the put options market showed an improvement in the pricing efficiency over the years whereas the call options market demonstrated a counterintuitive and adverse development. However, the profit potential offered by highly traded opportunities both in the cases of call and put options seems to be unexploitable in the presence of transaction costs. Moreover, the dearth of liquidity in the case of otherwise exploitable opportunities which carry higher profit potentials has been the main inhibiting factor to arbitrageurs.

Therefore, in short, it is reasonable to conclude that majority of violations in call as well as put options could not be exploited on account of the existing market-microstructure in India during the period under reference (especially short-selling constraint that caused underpricing in futures to persist) and the dearth of liquidity in the options market. In other words, the revealed state of options pricing can be designated to the short-selling constraints and dearth of liquidity.