bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modulation of Small-Scale Superinertial Internal Waves by Near-Inertial Internal Waves
Authors: Jing Zhao , Chang Ping
Published: August 2016

Dynamics of small-scale (<10 km) superinertial internal waves (SSIWs) of intense vertical motion are investigated theoretically and numerically. It is shown that near-inertial internal waves (NIWs) have a pronounced influence on modulation of SSIW strength. In convergence zones of NIWs, energy flux of SSIWs converge and energy is transferred from NIWs to SSIWs, leading to rapid growth of SSIWs. The opposite occurs when SSIWs enter divergence zones of NIWs. The underlying dynamics can be understood in terms of wave action conservation of SSIWs in the presence of background NIWs. The validity of the theoretical finding is verified using realistic high-resolution numerical simulations in the Gulf of Mexico. The results reveal significantly stronger small-scale superinertial vertical motions in convergence zones of NIWs than in divergence zones. By removing near-inertial wind forcing, model simulations with identical resolution show a substantial decrease in the small-scale superinertial vertical motions associated with the suppression of NIWs. Therefore, these numerical simulations support the theoretical finding of SSIW–NIW interaction.
Merger Efficiencies in Canada
Authors: Ware Roger , Winter Ralph A.
Published: August 2016

In terms of solidifying the economic foundations of competition policy, Canadian merger law is much further advanced than merger law in any other jurisdiction. This article evaluates the developments in the Canadian law and draws both positive and negative lessons for integrating economic principles into merger law generally. The balancing weights test adopted in Canadian law for incorporating efficiencies into merger assessment has firm support in economics. But the implementation of this test has run into problems. A sharp wedge remains in Canada between the law and the economics of merger evaluation.
“Ain’t I a Woman?”
Authors: Lewis Jioni A. , Mendenhall Ruby , Harwood Stacy A. , Browne Huntt Margaret
Published: August 2016

This study explored the experience of gendered racial microaggressions (i.e., subtle and everyday verbal, behavioral, and environmental expressions of oppression based on the intersection of one’s race and gender) among Black women at a predominantly White university. A total of 17 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students participated in one of two semistructured focus group discussions. Using dimensional analysis, three core gendered racial microaggression themes were uncovered, each with two subthemes: Projected Stereotypes (expectation of the Jezebel, expectation of the Angry Black Woman), Silenced and Marginalized (struggle for respect, invisibility), and Assumptions About Style and Beauty (assumptions about communication styles, assumptions about aesthetics). Results indicated that Black women experience microaggressions based on the stereotypes that exist about their gendered racial group. Findings support and extend the literature by developing a taxonomy of gendered racial microaggressions, which highlights intersecting forms of subtle oppression. Implications for research and practice in counseling psychology are discussed.
Predictors of Child Abuse Charges Within the Context of Domestic Violence Arrests
Authors: Roark Jennifer , Knight Kelly E. , Olson Heather , DeSandre Heidi
Published: August 2016

This article investigates how different factors of a domestic violence incident impact the likelihood of a child abuse charge within the context of domestic violence arrests. Data from 5,148 domestic violence arrests were used to test whether domestic violence-, incident-, and child-based predictors increased the likelihood of a child abuse charge. Logistic regression models of gender-stratified samples were employed to test for gender differences among domestic violence arrestees. The results demonstrated predictors affected men’s odds of a child abuse charge when compared with women. For men and women, children witnessing the domestic violence incident had the largest impact on a child abuse charge. These results contribute to the underdeveloped area of police response to child abuse in domestic violence cases.
Cultural consumption through the epistemologies of the South: ‘Humanization’ in transnational football fan solidarities
Authors: Petersen-Wagner Renan
Published: August 2016

In 2014, Boaventura de Sousa Santos awoke the global sociological community to the need to privilege ‘humanization’ in the exploration of transnational solidarities. This article presents the cultural consumption of a football club – Liverpool FC – to understand the common ‘love’, ‘suffering’, ‘care’ and ‘knowledge’ that fans who are part of the ‘Brazil Reds’ or ‘Switzerland Reds’ (although not all fans engaged in such communities are ‘from’ Brazil or Switzerland) experience. The argument is that the global North lexicon of social class, ethnicity, gender and, especially, nationality is less significant as starting points for analysis than humanization through shared love, which consolidates Liverpool FC fans’ transnational solidarities. Accordingly, the article calls for the epistemologies of the global South to be used to understand the practices of cultural consumption that constitute activities in the sphere of everyday life, such as those involved in ‘love’ for a football club.
An Assessment of the Results of European Parliament Elections in Greece and European Union Under the Shadow of Economic Crisis
Authors: Fanourgiakis John , Kanoupakis Emmanuel
Published: August 2016

On January 1, 1981, Greece became the tenth member of the European Economic Community and, 20 years later, on January 1, 2001, joined the euro area. In May of 2010 and February of 2012, Greece signed the first and the second economic adjustment programs and adopted austerity policies throughout the public sector in order to avoid the economic collapse, affecting residents’ income and health status. We studied the questionnaires of polls conducted in Greece before the elections of the European Parliament (May 25, 2014) and the “Europeans 2014” Eurobarometer’s survey in March of 2014. The responses of Greek voters from the Greek polls were alarming, pointing out their declining personal economic situation and Greece’s national economic situation, with a sense that the country was heading in the wrong direction, declaring themselves unsatisfied and insecure. The responses of Greek voters from the “Europeans 2014” survey were even more alarming. Health was the first priority for the voters. As the Greek polls and the Eurobarometer’s survey forecasted, but more significantly as the results of the Euro-elections showed, Greek voters preferred to put their hopes in something new.
Simulating three-dimensional dynamics of flexible fibers in a ring spinning triangle: chitosan and cotton fibers
Authors: Guo Hui Fen , Lam Ngan Yi Kitty , Yang Chenxiao , Li Li
Published: August 2016

A three-dimensional particle-level simulation method is developed to simulate fiber dynamics in the ring spinning triangle. The fiber is modeled as a chain of beads connected through massless rods, and its flexibility is defined by the stretching, bending and twisting displacements. As the application of the proposed approach, the effects of the chitosan (CS)/cotton (CT) fiber initial position and length on fiber motion and yarn properties are discussed. The deflections of CS fibers along the roller axis are larger compared with those of CT fibers, which will lead to CS migrating outwards in CS/CT blended yarn. The short CS fibers (22 mm) will move toward the top roller surface and shift quickly out of the roller nip, and thus yarn strength is lower. The tailing end of the longest CS fiber (46 mm) will drift off the roller nip, which makes little or no contribution to the yarn strength. For 38 mm length CS fiber, it moves toward the bottom roller surface and is bound into the roller nip, and thus can produce the highest tenacity CS/CT blended yarns. The simulation results agree with the spinning experimental data reported by other researchers.
Student Mobility, Segregation, and Achievement Gaps: Evidence From Clark County, Nevada
Authors: Welsh Richard O.
Published: August 2016

Student mobility and school segregation are two important issues with significant equity implications for urban school districts that are often addressed separately. This article examines the relationship between student mobility and school segregation. The findings indicate that more segregated schools typically have smaller within-school achievement gaps, a lower proportion of proficient students, a higher proportion of low-income and minority students, and higher nonstructural mobility rates (especially within-year mobility) than less segregated schools. The results also suggest that, regardless of the timing of school changes, high levels of achievement segregation are a significant predictor of student mobility. Policy implications are discussed.
Epithelioid sarcoma-like hemangioendothelioma on the chest wall
Authors: Tsubokawa Norifumi , Harada Hiroaki , Taniyama Daiki , Uemura Takahiro , Kuraoka Kazuya , Yamashita Yoshinori
Published: August 2016

Epithelioid sarcoma-like hemangioendothelioma is a rare vascular neoplasm that usually occurs in the distal extremities of young adults. Although the overall behavior of this neoplasm is usually indolent with a low risk of distant metastasis, the risk of local recurrence is significant. Therefore, initial surgical treatment with an adequate margin is important to improve the prognosis. However, epithelioid sarcoma-like hemangioendothelioma is frequently misdiagnosed. A preoperative misdiagnosis could result in resection without a sufficient margin. Herein, we describe a 68-year-old man with epithelioid sarcoma-like hemangioendothelioma on the chest wall, which was treated by wide resection despite difficulties with the preoperative diagnosis.
Combinatorial equilibrium modeling
Authors: Ole Ohlbrock Patrick , Schwartz Joseph
Published: August 2016

This research develops a theoretical framework (based on graphic statics and the graph theory) that allows for the incorporation of the control of qualitative structural behavior in the conceptual design phase in a novel way. This article presents an innovative computer-aided modeling approach for spatial pin-jointed networks in equilibrium with any combination of compression and tension forces.
Affordable, sustainable local economic research for small urban areas: 22 years of evolution and refinement
Authors: McGrath John M , Glenn Skip , Vickroy Ronald
Published: August 2016

This article details the evolution and refinement of a low-cost study of economic conditions in a small metropolitan area over the past 22 years. Annually, the chamber of commerce of the study area collaborates with faculty members at a local university to conduct the research, which is shared with business and community leaders at a regional economic summit. The study addresses the unique information needs for a local economy that are not filled by existing federal and state data. Specific measures include projected changes in employment and an “optimism scale” for local organizations. Over time, the study’s methodology has evolved from a paper survey to include an online survey option, as well as the addition of new measures to address changing community needs. The approach is technically and financially sustainable and within the reach of local organizations with modest research budgets. The study could be adopted easily in other small communities.
Promoting physical activity in low back pain patients: six months follow-up of a randomised controlled trial comparing a multicomponent intervention with a low intensity intervention
Authors: Schaller Andrea , Dintsios Charalabos-Markos , Icks Andrea , Reibling Nadine , Froboese Ingo
Published: August 2016

Objective:

To assess a comprehensive multicomponent intervention against a low intensity intervention for promoting physical activity in chronic low back pain patients.

Design:

Randomised controlled trial.

Setting:

Inpatient rehabilitation and aftercare.

Subjects:

A total of 412 patients with chronic low back pain.

Interventions:

A multicomponent intervention (Movement Coaching) comprising of small group intervention (twice during inpatient rehabilitation), tailored telephone aftercare (twice after rehabilitation) and internet-based aftercare (web 2.0 platform) versus a low level intensity intervention (two general presentations on physical activity, download of the presentations).

Main measures:

Physical activity was measured using a questionnaire. Primary outcome was total physical activity; secondary outcomes were setting specific physical activity (transport, workplace, leisure time) and pain. Comparative group differences were evaluated six months after inpatient rehabilitation.

Results:

At six months follow-up, 92 participants in Movement Coaching (46 %) and 100 participants in the control group (47 %) completed the postal follow-up questionnaire. No significant differences between the two groups could be shown in total physical activity ( P = 0.30). In addition to this, workplace ( P = 0.53), transport ( P = 0.68) and leisure time physical activity ( P = 0.21) and pain ( P = 0.43) did not differ significantly between the two groups. In both groups, physical activity decreased during the six months follow-up.

Conclusions:

The multicomponent intervention was no more effective than the low intensity intervention in promoting physical activity at six months follow-up. The decrease in physical activity in both groups is an unexpected outcome of the study and indicates the need for further research.
What are the barriers and facilitators to goal-setting during rehabilitation for stroke and other acquired brain injuries? A systematic review and meta-synthesis
Authors: Plant Sarah E , Tyson Sarah F , Kirk Susan , Parsons John
Published: August 2016

Objective:

To identify the barriers and facilitators to goal-setting during rehabilitation for stroke and other acquired brain injuries.

Data sources:

AMED, Proquest, CINAHL and MEDLINE.

Review methods:

Two reviewers independently screened, extracted data and assessed study quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and undertook thematic content analysis for papers examining the barriers and facilitators to goal-setting during stroke/neurological rehabilitation (any design). Last searches were completed in May 2016.

Results:

Nine qualitative papers were selected, involving 202 participants in total: 88 patients, 89 health care professionals and 25 relatives of participating patients. Main barriers were: Differences in staff and patients perspectives of goal-setting; patient-related barriers; staff-related barriers, and organisational level barriers. Main facilitators were: individually tailored goal-setting processes, strategies to promote communication and understanding, and strategies to avoid disappointment and unrealistic goals. In addition, patients’ and staff’s knowledge, experience, skill, and engagement with goal-setting could be either a barrier (if these aspects were absent) or a facilitator (if they were present).

Conclusion:

The main barriers and facilitators to goal-setting during stroke rehabilitation have been identified. They suggest that current methods of goal-setting during inpatient/early stage stroke or neurological rehabilitation are not fit for purpose.
How have research questions and methods used in clinical trials published in Clinical Rehabilitation changed over the last 30 years?
Authors: Mayo Nancy E , Kaur Navaldeep , Barbic Skye P , Fiore Julio , Barclay Ruth , Finch Lois , Kuspinar Ayse , Asano Miho , Figueiredo Sabrina , Aburub Ala’ Sami , Alzoubi Fadi , Arafah Alaa , Askari Sorayya , Bakhshi Behtash , Bouchard Vanessa , Higgins Johanne , Hum Stanley , Inceer Mehmet , Letellier Marie Eve , Lourenco Christiane , Mate Kedar , Salbach Nancy M , Moriello Carolina
Published: August 2016

Research in rehabilitation has grown from a rare phenomenon to a mature science and clinical trials are now common. The purpose of this study is to estimate the extent to which questions posed and methods applied in clinical trials published in Clinical Rehabilitation have evolved over three decades with respect to accepted standards of scientific rigour. Studies were identified by journal, database, and hand searching for the years 1986 to 2016.

A total of 390 articles whose titles suggested a clinical trial of an intervention, with or without randomization to form groups, were reviewed. Questions often still focused on methods to be used (57%) rather than what knowledge was to be gained. Less than half (43%) of the studies delineated between primary and secondary outcomes; multiple outcomes were common; and sample sizes were relatively small (mean 83, range 5 to 3312). Blinding of assessors was common (72%); blinding of study subjects was rare (19%). In less than one-third of studies was intention-to-treat analysis done correctly; power was reported in 43%. There is evidence of publication bias as 83% of studies reported either a between-group or a within-group effect. Over time, there was an increase in the use of parameter estimation rather than hypothesis testing and there was evidence that methodological rigour improved.

Rehabilitation trialists are answering important questions about their interventions. Outcomes need to be more patient-centred and a measurement framework needs to be explicit. More advanced statistical methods are needed as interventions are complex. Suggestions for moving forward over the next decades are given.
Universal Design for Learning in Teaching Large Lecture Classes
Authors: Dean Tereza , Lee-Post Anita , Hapke Holly
Published: August 2016

To augment traditional lecture with instructional tools that provide options for content representation, learner engagement, and learning expression, we followed the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to design and implement a learning environment for teaching and learning in large lecture classes. To this end, we incorporated four carefully selected instructional tools (PowerPoint, lecture notes, clickers, and MindTap) in the proposed UDL environment for an introductory marketing class of over 600 students. Self-reported and objective measures were collected to assess the effectiveness of the UDL environment by evaluating its impact on perceived learning, satisfaction with the instructional tools, and actual learning. Our study aims to provide educators with suggestions on how to meet the needs of a diverse group of students in large lecture classes without compromising the quality of teaching and learning.
Optimizing emissions targets for residential recycling programmes: Why ‘more’ is not necessarily better with respect to diversion
Authors: Lakhan Calvin
Published: August 2016

This study highlights the economic and environmental challenges of recycling in Ontario, specifically examining the effect of attempting to increase the emissions target for the province’s household recycling programme. The findings from the cost model analysis found that Ontario’s Blue Box programme reduces overall carbon emissions by approximately 1.8 million tonnes every year. This study also found that targeting specific materials for recovery could result in a scenario where the province could improve both overall diversion and emissions offsets while reducing material management costs. Under our modelled scenario, as the tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) avoided increases, the system cost per tonne of GHG avoided initial declines. However, after avoiding 2.05 million tonnes of GHGs, the system cost/tonne GHG avoided increases. To achieve an emissions target in excess of 2.05 million tonnes, the province will have to start recycling higher cost non-core materials (composite materials, other plastics, etc.).
Transition to a Tube Feeding Formula With Real Food Ingredients in Pediatric Patients With Intestinal Failure
Authors: Samela Kate , Mokha Jasmeet , Emerick Karan , Davidovics Zev H.
Published: August 2016

Due to concerns related primarily to allergic response and malabsorption, enteral nutrition therapy has traditionally relied on the use of elemental formulas in children with intestinal failure (IF). Blended food diets via a gastrostomy tube have been reported to improve feeding tolerance in pediatric populations receiving long‐term enteral nutrition therapy. Complex macronutrients have been shown to stimulate intestinal adaptation in animal models. We report on our experience in children with IF who had an overall improvement in stool output when transitioned from an elemental formula to a tube feeding formula with real food ingredients (TFRF). Data were collected in a retrospective chart review of children with IF, >1 year of age, who were receiving enteral nutrition via continuous infusion, bolus feeding, or both. Indications for the TFRF trial were diarrhea or inconsistent stooling patterns. Ten children with a mean small bowel length of 48.3 cm were trialed on TFRF. Nine of 10 (90%) children tolerated the transition to 100% TFRF, of which 7 of 9 (78%) had their entire colon in continuity. The average age at successful transition was 29.2 months, and the average length of time to transition to 100% TFRF was 67.3 days. TFRF is well tolerated in children >1 year of age with IF; it also improves their stooling patterns. A commercially available TFRF is a cost‐effective and nutritionally adequate means of providing nutrition to this patient population.
Cages and Class Struggle: A Leninist Inquiry into the Caricature of Marxism in Fenggang Yang’s ‘Soul Searching’
Authors: Xie Jerry
Published: August 2016

The sociologist of religion Fenggang Yang has recently extended his ‘markets of religion’ framework to the spiritual ‘soul searching’ in contemporary literature. In his epilogue to Angelica Duran and Yuhan Huang’s Mo Yan in Context (2014), an anthology of interdisciplinary interpretations of Mo Yan’s ‘hallucinatory realist’ fiction, Yang claims that ‘Chinese souls’ have been ‘caged’ by, among other things, ‘Marxist-Leninist-Maoist atheism’. He refers to the Marxist theory of religion as merely ‘the Marxist adage’ that religion is ‘the opiate of the people’. This essay analyzes Yang’s ‘cage’ concept, to ‘work against it both from without and within’, as Lenin says. In doing so, I argue that Yang’s ‘soul searching’ epilogue is a highly concentrated text of bourgeois ideological mystification and is, therefore, a productive site for Marxist oppositional pedagogy which contests the imagism of ‘cages’ with the materialist dialectics of class struggle.
Thirteen Things You Need to Know About Neoliberalism
Authors: Fine Ben , Saad-Filho Alfredo
Published: August 2016

This article examines the theories and practices of neoliberalism across 13 aspects of (‘things you need to know about’) neoliberalism. They include the argument that neoliberalism is not reducible to a cogent ideology or a change in economic or social policies, nor is it primarily about a shift in the relationship between the state and the market or between workers and capital in general, or finance in particular. Instead, neoliberalism is a stage in the development of capitalism underpinned by financialization. Neoliberalism by its nature is highly diversified in its features, impact and outcomes, reflecting specific combinations of scholarship, ideology, policy and practice. In turn, these are attached to distinctive material cultures giving rise to the (variegated) neoliberalization of everyday life and, at a further remove, to specific modalities of economic growth, volatility and crisis. Finally, this paper argues that there are alternatives, both within and beyond neoliberalism itself.
How Labour Made Neoliberalism
Authors: Humphrys Elizabeth , Cahill Damien
Published: August 2016

Critical explanations of neoliberalism regularly adhere to a dominant narrative as to the form and implementation of the neoliberal policy revolution, positing neoliberalism in its vanguard period as a project implemented by governments of the New Right, imposed coercively on civil society by state elites and only subsequently adopted by social democratic parties. In such accounts, labour is typically posited as the object and victim of neoliberalising processes. In contrast, this article focuses upon the active role of labour within the development of neoliberalism. The period of social democratic government in Australia (1983–1996) is used as a case study to illuminate labour’s active role in constructing neoliberalism. Indicative evidence from the USA and UK is then presented to argue that the agency of labour can usefully be ‘written in’ to the presently dominant narrative regarding the rise of neoliberalism to provide a more satisfactory account of its nature and resilience over time.
V. An examination of women's professional visibility in cognitive psychology
Authors: Vaid Jyotsna , Geraci Lisa
Published: August 2016

Mainstream psychological research has been characterized as androcentric in its construction of males as the norm. Does an androcentric bias also characterize the professional visibility of psychologists? We examined this issue for cognitive psychology, where the gender distribution in doctoral degrees has been roughly equal for several decades. Our investigation revealed that, across all indicators surveyed, male cognitive psychologists are more visible than their female counterparts: they are over-represented in professional society governance, as editors-in-chief of leading journals in the field, as Fellows in professional societies, and as recipients of prestigious senior level awards. Taken together, our findings indicate that a gender parity in doctoral degrees in cognitive psychology does not translate into a parity in professional visibility. We discuss a variety of potential reasons for the observed gender gap and suggest that, without attention to gendered structures of status and power, as noted by Shields, existing gender hierarchies may persist and be reproduced.
III. Historical significance of Shields’ 1975 essay: A brief commentary on four major contributions
Authors: Unger Rhoda , Dottolo Andrea L
Published: August 2016

This article argues that Shields’ work demonstrated that it is impossible to practice value-free science. And, despite the efforts of many feminist psychologists who have argued that the question of sex differences is someone else’s question, biological theories about the differences between women and men are still popular and influential today. This paper will call attention to four areas of scholarship produced by second-wave feminist psychologists who were inspired by Shields’ work: (1) rediscovery of the work of first-wave feminist psychologists, (2) discussion of the impossibility of value-free research on sex differences, (3) introduction of new categories of analysis such as “gender” and reframing research based on these new categories, and (4) addition of more value-laden categories to sex such as race, social class, and sexuality and using intersectionality theory to design new avenues of research.
Modulatory role of betulinic acid in N-nitrosodimethylamine-induced hepatorenal toxicity in male Wistar rats
Authors: Adeleke GE , Adaramoye OA
Published: August 2016

N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is a toxicant found in foods and drinking water. Several synthetic agents used in alleviation of NDMA toxicity have been associated with serious side effects. Therefore, a safe and less toxic agent is desirable. In this study, betulinic acid (BA), a triterpenoid antioxidant, is proposed as a better and alternative agent to modulate NDMA-induced toxicity. Twenty-four Wistar rats were assigned into four groups of six rats each and treated with normal saline (control), BA (25 mg/kg), NDMA (5 mg/kg) and (BA + NDMA). BA was given by oral gavage for 14 consecutive days, while NDMA was administered intraperitoneally on days 7 and 12. Results showed that administration of NDMA significantly ( p < 0.05) elevated the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transferase by 51%, 48% and 81%, respectively. Also, NDMA intoxication significantly ( p < 0.05) increased the levels of serum urea and creatinine by 64% and 82%, respectively, and decreased urinary creatinine by 67%. In addition, administration of NDMA significantly ( p < 0.05) increased the levels of hepatic and renal DNA fragmentation by 44% and 61%, respectively, relative to control. The number of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (mnPCEs) in NDMA-treated rats (11.1 ± 2.6 mnPCE/1000PCE) was significantly higher than control (4.3 ± 1.1 mnPCE/1000 PCE). Immunohistochemistry revealed strong expressions of Bcl-2 and nuclear p53 in NDMA-intoxicated rats. Interestingly, pretreatment with BA significantly ( p < 0.05) ameliorated NDMA-induced changes in serum biochemical indices, mnPCEs, DNA fragmentation and expressions of Bcl-2 and p53 proteins. These findings suggest that BA protects against NDMA-induced toxicity via anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic activities.
Does Political Stability Accelerate Economic Growth in Tanzania? A Time Series Analysis
Authors: Ramadhan Abeid Ahmed , Jian Zhi Hong , Henry Kyissima Kelvin , Pacific Yapatake Kossele Thales
Published: August 2016

Political stability normally plays an essential role in the process of economic development of any country. The vector error correction model (VECM) is employed to examine the impact of political stability on economic growth in Tanzania covering the period of 1996–2014. The cointegration test has been ascertained through the application of augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) and Phillips–Perron (PP) tests showing that there is a long-run relationship. The results show that only political stability is statistically significant and has a positive relationship with economic growth, while gross domestic investments (GDI) and total labour forces are not statistically significant but have a positive relationship with economic growth.
An Analytical Framework for Internationalization Through English-Taught Degree Programs: A Dutch Case Study
Authors: Kotake Masako
Published: August 2016

The growing importance of internationalization and the global dominance of English in higher education mean pressures on expanding English-taught degree programs (ETDPs) in non-English-speaking countries. Strategic considerations are necessary to successfully integrate ETDPs into existing programs and to optimize the effects of internationalization. Previous studies have proposed that innovation theory might explain effectively how to achieve this. This article examines the validity of innovation theory as a framework for understanding the institutionalization of ETDPs and identifies determining factors of successful outcomes. A case study was conducted in Dutch universities to identify factors influencing the institutionalization of ETDPs. A qualitative analysis of 15 interviews with academics demonstrated that an innovation theory-based framework can enable a systematic understanding of the institutionalization of ETDPs and can be effective in analyzing the influencing factors. Analyses utilizing this framework can contribute to strategic planning and policy-making for internationalization at national and institutional levels.
Rapid detection of Porcine circovirus 2 by recombinase polymerase amplification
Authors: Wang Jianchang , Wang Jinfeng , Liu Libing , Li Ruiwen , Yuan Wanzhe
Published: August 2016

Porcine circovirus–associated disease, caused primarily by Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2), has become endemic in many pig-producing countries and has resulted in significant economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. Tests for PCV-2 infection include PCR, nested PCR, competitive PCR, and real-time PCR (rtPCR). Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) has emerged as an isothermal gene amplification technology for the molecular detection of infectious disease agents. RPA is performed at a constant temperature and therefore can be carried out in a water bath. In addition, RPA is completed in ~30 min, much faster than PCR, which usually takes >60 min. We developed a RPA-based method for the detection of PCV-2. The detection limit of RPA was 102 copies of PCV-2 genomic DNA. RPA showed the same sensitivity as rtPCR but was 10 times more sensitive than conventional PCR. Successful amplification of PCV-2 DNA, but not other viral templates, demonstrated high specificity of the RPA assay. This method was also validated using clinical samples. The results showed that the RPA assay had a diagnostic agreement rate of 93.7% with conventional PCR and 100% with rtPCR. These findings suggest that the RPA assay is a simple, rapid, and cost-effective method for PCV-2 detection, which could be potentially applied in clinical diagnosis and field surveillance of PCV-2 infection.
Effects of in-plane extension on transverse thermal conductivity of a carbon–carbon 8-harness satin weave composite
Authors: Zhang D , Hayhurst DR
Published: August 2016

A finite element-based technique for coupled thermo-mechanical analysis of woven Ceramic Matrix Composites sheets is presented for the prediction of the degradation of transverse thermal transport behaviour with in-plane extension. The thermal conductivity–strain characteristics have been determined, at the tow level, from the properties of the constituent elements, and then extended to tows and composite. The non-linear thermal conductivity-extension behaviour of the tow has been discretised by multi-linear curves, and implemented in a user-defined subroutine in ABAQUS to model the behaviour of the homogenised orthotropic unidirectional tow and its matrix. By using this approach, an 8-Harness Satin weave HITCO C/C composite unit cell has then been analysed. The variation of through-thickness thermal conductivity degradation with in-plane extension has been predicted and compared with the results of experiments. Very good agreement has been achieved. Two classes of behaviour have been experimentally observed: one that exhibits a brittle response, and another that shows a quasi-ductile behaviour. Both classes of behaviour have been predicted and shown to relate, respectively, to strain localisation and instantaneous pull-out deactivation, without localisation being invoked. These responses are reflected directly in the predicted and experimental rates of decay of transverse thermal conductivity with axial extension. It is advocated that the reduction in transverse thermal conductivity with extension and damage can be used as a Structural Integrity Monitor for CMC operational components.
The Relationship of Engagement in Improvement Practices to Outcome Measures in Large-Scale Quality Improvement Initiatives
Authors: Foster Gregory L. , Kenward Kevin , Hines Stephen , Joshi Maulik S.
Published: August 2016

Hospital engagement networks (HENs) are part of the largest health care improvement initiative ever undertaken. This article explores whether engagement in improvement activities within a HEN affected quality measures. Data were drawn from 1174 acute care hospitals. A composite quality score was created from 10 targeted topic area measures multiplied by the number of qualifying topics. Scores improved from 5.4 (SD = 6.8) at baseline to 4.6 (5.9) at remeasurement; P < .0001. Hospitals with higher baseline scores demonstrated greater improvement ( P < .0001) than hospitals with lower baseline scores. Hospitals with larger Medicaid populations ( P = .023) and micropolitan ( P = .034) hospitals tended to have greater improvement, whereas hospitals in the West ( P = .0009) did not improve as much as hospitals in other regions. After adjusting for hospital characteristics, hospitals with improvement champions ( P = .008), a higher level of engagement with their state association ( P = .001), and more leadership involvement ( P = .005) in HEN demonstrated greater improvement.
Anticipated Multiple Role Management in Emerging Adults
Authors: Roche Meghan K. , Daskalova Plamena , Brown Steven D.
Published: August 2016

Lent and Brown presented a social cognitive career theory (SCCT) self-management process model aimed at understanding how and under what conditions individuals will navigate adaptive career behaviors. The current study tested the self-management model as applied to young peoples’ anticipated multiple role balance intentions, hypothesizing that self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations for balancing multiple life roles would predict intentions to balance multiple life roles. Given that multiple role balancing behaviors require good self-organization capacities, trait conscientiousness was incorporated into the model as a potential person input variable. Gender was also included as a person input. The best fitting model suggested that, consistent with SCCT hypotheses, self-efficacy beliefs related to role balance intentions. Outcome expectation’s relationship to intentions was smaller and did not reach statistical significance. The relation of conscientiousness to intentions was fully mediated by self-efficacy. Gender showed only a direct relation to intentions, suggesting that women have stronger intentions to balance multiple roles than do men, apart from their feelings of confidence and expected outcomes. These results suggest that interventions designed to aid multiple role balance in young women and men may usefully target their self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations for multiple role management.
Statistical considerations on stationary-random noise propagating through a solid medium
Authors: Dragonetti Raffaele , Lepore Antono , Di Filippo Sabato , Mercogliano Francesco , Romano Rosario A
Published: August 2016

In this paper the noise propagation through a solid medium is considered to study how the parameters of the statistical model change. In particular the external and internal sound fields of a box are taken into account. It is experimentally shown that the variance of the real and the imaginary parts of the external stationary random noise change differently while going through the box walls. The generalized Rayleigh distribution is shown to be more suitable to model the noise inside the cavity instead of the classical Rayleigh distribution. Starting from this outcome it has been studied how this noise affects a signal.

It is known that a signal modulus affected by stationary random noise can be described by using the Rice distribution if the real and imaginary parts of the noise are statistically independent and identically distributed with zero mean and equal variances. Otherwise the less popular generalized Rice distribution must be used. The main differences of using the Rice or the generalized Rice distributions are shown by considering phasors both with constant and variable phases. In this paper it is shown that the bias estimation depends on the phase of the phasor if the variances of the real and imaginary parts are different and a numerical quantification is given.

The attained results are useful when performing measurements of the sound pressure field due to a sound source inside a cavity affected by external noise.
Theory of mind predicts severity level in autism
Authors: Hoogenhout Michelle , Malcolm-Smith Susan
Published: August 2016

We investigated whether theory of mind skills can indicate autism spectrum disorder severity. In all, 62 children with autism spectrum disorder completed a developmentally sensitive theory of mind battery. We used intelligence quotient, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) diagnosis and level of support needed as indicators of severity level. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, we found three distinct clusters of theory of mind ability: early-developing theory of mind (Cluster 1), false-belief reasoning (Cluster 2) and sophisticated theory of mind understanding (Cluster 3). The clusters corresponded to severe, moderate and mild autism spectrum disorder. As an indicator of level of support needed, cluster grouping predicted the type of school children attended. All Cluster 1 children attended autism-specific schools; Cluster 2 was divided between autism-specific and special needs schools and nearly all Cluster 3 children attended general special needs and mainstream schools. Assessing theory of mind skills can reliably discriminate severity levels within autism spectrum disorder.
Practices of partnership: Negotiated safety among couples who inject drugs
Authors: Rance Jake , Rhodes Tim , Fraser Suzanne , Bryant Joanne , Treloar Carla
Published: August 2016

Despite the majority of needle–syringe sharing occurring between sexual partners, the intimate partnerships of people who inject drugs have been largely overlooked as key sites of both hepatitis C virus prevention and transmission, and risk management more generally. Drawing on interviews with 34 couples living in inner-city Australia, this article focuses on participants’ accounts of ‘sharing’. While health promotion discourses and conventional epidemiology have tended to interpret the practice of sharing (like the absence of condom use) in terms of ‘noncompliance’, we are interested in participants’ socially and relationally situated ‘rationalities’. Focussing on participants’ lived experiences of partnership, we endeavour to make sense of risk and safety as the participants themselves do.How did these couples engage with biomedical knowledge around hepatitis C virus and incorporate it into their everyday lives and practices? Revisiting and refashioning the concept of ‘negotiated safety’ from its origins in gay men’s HIV prevention practice, we explore participants’ risk and safety practices in relation to multiple and alternative framings, including those which resist or challenge mainstream epidemiological or health promotion positions. Participant accounts revealed the extent to which negotiating safety was a complex and at times contradictory process, involving the balancing or prioritising of multifarious, often competing, risks. We argue that our positioning of participants’ partnerships as the primary unit of analysis represents a novel and instructive way of thinking about not only hepatitis C virus transmission and prevention, but the complexities and contradictions of risk production and its negotiation more broadly.
Narrative as re-fusion: Making sense and value from sickle cell and thalassaemia trait
Authors: Dyson Simon M , Ahmad Waqar IU , Atkin Karl
Published: August 2016

The moral turn within sociology suggests that we need to be attentive to values and have a rapprochement with philosophy. The study of illness narratives is one area of sociology that has consistently addressed itself to moral domains but has tended to focus on stories of living with genetic or chronic illness per se rather than liminal states such as genetic traits. This article takes the case of genetic carriers within racialized minority groups, namely, those with sickle cell or thalassaemia trait, and takes seriously the notion that their narratives are ethical practices. In line with the work of Paul Ricoeur, such storied practices are found to link embodiment, social relationships with significant others and wider socio-cultural and socio-political relations. At the same time, such practices are about embodying values. These narratives may be considered as practices that re-fuse what genetic counselling has de-fused, in order to make sense of a life in its entirety and to strive ethically and collectively towards preferred social realities.
All care, but whose responsibility? Community juries reason about expert and patient responsibilities in prostate-specific antigen screening for prostate cancer
Authors: Degeling Chris , Carter Stacy M , Rychetnik Lucie
Published: August 2016

General practitioners have implicitly been given responsibility for guiding men’s decisions about prostate-specific antigen–based screening for prostate cancer, but patients’ expectations of the bounds of this responsibility remain unclear. We sought to explore how well-informed members of the public allocate responsibilities in prostate-specific antigen screening decision-making. In 2014, we convened two Community juries in Sydney, Australia, to address questions related to the content and timing of information provision and respective roles of patients and general practitioners in screening decisions. Participants in the first jury were of mixed gender and of all ages (n = 15); the participants in the second jury were all male and of screening age (n = 12). Both juries were presented with balanced factual evidence on the harms and benefits of prostate-specific antigen screening and expert perspectives on ethico-legal aspects of consent in medical practice. In their deliberations, jurors agreed that general practitioners should take responsibility for informing men of the options, risks and benefits of prostate-specific antigen testing, but arrived at different positions on whether or not general practitioners should also guide screening decisions. Jurors also disagreed on how much and when general practitioners should provide detailed information about biopsies and treatments. These responses suggest that for prostate-specific antigen testing, there is a public expectation that both the allocation of responsibility between general practitioners and their male patients, and the level of information provided will be tailored to individual men. In the presence of expert uncertainty, a well-informed public may have reason to embrace or resist shared decision-making processes.
Issue expansion and selective scrutiny – how opposition parties used parliamentary questions about the European Union in the national arena from 1973 to 2013
Authors: Senninger Roman
Published: August 2016

The scrutiny exerted by opposition parties in European Union (EU) affairs crucially contributes to the functioning of democratic accountability in the EU. While our knowledge about the extent of control activities has increased, we know little about their content. This article investigates the policy issues that opposition parties address in parliamentary questions about the EU. I argue that Eurosceptic opposition parties follow vote-maximizing strategies and selectively scrutinize very general aspects of the EU. My expectation is tested using a unique data collection of written questions in the Danish Folketing (1973–2013). I find evidence that the content of questions has been broadened over time and that Eurosceptic parties strongly emphasize general EU matters. The results point to the importance of political parties in making democratic accountability in the EU work.