bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning language, learning culture: Constructing Finnishness in adult learner textbooks
Authors: Hjelm Titus , Valijärvi Riitta-Liisa , Lee Alessia , Linnenweber Alina , Tárkányi Tímea , Troll Phoebe
Published: November 2017

Learning a second language can be considered a primary example of what Berger and Luckmann call ‘secondary socialisation’. Through careful decisions concerning what to include and what to omit, textbooks have the power to direct what a beginner can and should say in their target language. Additionally, textbooks have the responsibility of representing the cultures that speak the language. Much of a language learner’s initial understanding of a national culture in its own language is dependent on the constructions of that culture in their learning resources. This article examines how two widely used series of Finnish language textbooks for adult learners construct ‘typical’ Finnishness and the implications of these constructions for contemporary debates about national identity. Through an application of a version of critical discourse analysis, we show that the hegemonic image of Finnishness conforms to the stereotype of a modern, advanced and nature-loving people. But the image is also middle-class, White and conventional (even conservative) in terms of gender equality and sexuality. We argue that the textbooks have a key role in creating an inclusive sense of the host culture and that this inclusiveness is an asset for language acquisition, although at the moment they fall short of this aim.
Raymond Williams’ communicative materialism
Authors: Fuchs Christian
Published: November 2017

Raymond Williams is one of the most important and influential cultural theorists. Although he wrote on communication(s), the main reception of his works is today predominantly focused on his works on literature and culture. This article therefore presents an overview of his notion of communication and asks: How does Raymond Williams conceive of communication? How can we use his communicative materialism today for understanding digital communication? Williams advanced a materialist understanding of communication. His elements of a materialist communication theory help us to illuminate communication in the context of the base/superstructure problem, and ideology as a peculiar form of instrumental communication. He provides concepts that we need for a materialist understanding of digital media. The article concludes that we need the approach of communicative materialism for grounding a Marxist theory of communication that is relevant to the analysis of digital media. This article forms part of ‘On the Move’, a special issue that marks the twentieth anniversary of the European Journal of Cultural Studies.
The biographical approach in (post-) subcultural studies: Exploring punk in China
Authors: Xiao Jian
Published: November 2017

While the biographical approach is widely employed in applied and theoretical social research, it is less fully developed in the specific field of (post-) subcultural studies. The article demonstrates the utility of the biographical method for (post) subcultural studies by presenting research on the punk phenomenon in an authoritarian social context within China. The discussion draws upon a qualitative study based on interviews with 34 Chinese punk musicians. Although the article focuses on one of these musicians in particular, the arguments are informed by broader research findings. Specifically, emphasis is placed on examining how the punk musician experiences the gradual process of deepening commitment to the punk scene and, through this, the multiple levels of power relations in his life. It is argued that the biographical approach can highlight the subjectivity of individual participants in their everyday practices and the wider social context in which they are actors. This article forms part of ‘On the Move’, a special issue marking the twentieth anniversary of the European Journal of Cultural Studies.
‘Caitlyn Jenner “likes” Ted Cruz but the feeling may not be mutual’: Trans pedagogy and I Am Cait
Authors: Brady Anita
Published: November 2017

When the Olympian and reality television star formerly known as Bruce Jenner appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in 2015 under the headline ‘Call me Caitlyn’, there was widespread celebration of this unprecedented moment of transgender visibility. However, the positive reception of Jenner as an out trans celebrity has become increasingly complicated by the conservative Republican politics she identifies with. This article examines how those tensions inform the reality series I Am Cait, which repeatedly features Jenner in political conflict with a group of trans activists who are helping to facilitate her public transition. It asks whether the ‘education’ of Jenner that becomes the primary narrative of the text reaffirms or troubles the neoliberal ideology at the core of her conservatism. In order to explore this, I examine the series’ framing of productive gender normative citizenship, the intersection of its corrective pedagogies with the reality television context in which they take place, and the series’ representation of transgender heterogeneity. This article forms part of ‘On the Move’, a special issue marking the twentieth anniversary of the European Journal of Cultural Studies.
Watching me watching you: Black women in Britain on YouTube
Authors: Sobande Francesca
Published: November 2017

YouTube and video bloggers (vloggers) have been a source of academic interest, yet few studies explore the representation or experiences of Black women on YouTube. The video blogs (vlogs) of Black women yield symbolic digital resources which young Black women may engage with in self-exploratory, self-educating, resistant and collective ways. This article reflects on 21 in-depth interviews with young Black women in Britain, aged 19–33 years. It addresses how their engagement with Black women’s vlogs intersects with identity and ideological work, including participation in Black digital diasporic dynamics. Influenced by research about Black women and media culture, resistant YouTube activity, as well as race and everyday uses of celebrity, this article explores the YouTube usage of young Black women in Britain, while reflecting on what this reveals about their lives in the early 21st century. This article forms part of ‘On the Move’, a special issue marking the twentieth anniversary of the European Journal of Cultural Studies.
Inside the whale (and how to get out of there): Moving on from two decades of creative industries research
Authors: Banks Mark , O’Connor Justin
Published: November 2017

In keeping with the spirit of this Special Issue, this article takes a retrospective view – analysing two decades of research on local, city-based cultural economies in the dominant context of the ‘creative industries’ policy paradigm. We begin by exploring our own position in the field – as early arbiters for the cultural industries – and the political and economic context which informed our own (shared) efforts to further progressive claims for culture, amidst the transforming post-industrial city of the 1990s. The subsequent rise of a creative industries discourse – in the United Kingdom and beyond – had a transformative effect on those progressive claims, not least in bringing to the fore a more economistic, capital-driven model of urban renewal which served to undermine many of the promises that had been invested in popular urban culture under social democracy. How this shift was played out in the academic literature – and its political consequences – is the theme of the remainder of the article. This article forms part of the Special Issue ‘On the Move’, which marks the 20th anniversary of the European Journal of Cultural Studies. It also heads up a special online dossier on ‘Creative Industries in the European Journal of Cultural Studies’.
The affective, cultural and psychic life of postfeminism: A postfeminist sensibility 10 years on
Authors: Gill Rosalind
Published: November 2017

This article revisits the notion of ‘postfeminism’ 10 years after its formulation in critical terms as a sensibility characterizing cultural life. The article has two broad aims: first to reflect upon postfeminism as a critical term – as part of the lexicon of feminist scholarship – and second to discuss the current features of postfeminism as a sensibility. The first part of the article discusses the extraordinary uptake of the term and considers its continuing relevance in a changed context marked by deeply contradictory trends, including the resurgence of interest in feminism, alongside the spectacular visibility of misogyny, racism, homophobia and nationalism. I document a growing attention to the specificities of postfeminism, including attempts to map its temporal phases, its relevance to place, and intersectional developments of the term. The second part of the article examines the contours of the contemporary postfeminist sensibility. I argue that postfeminism has tightened its hold upon contemporary life and become hegemonic. Compared with a decade ago, it is much more difficult to recognize as a novel and distinctive sensibility, as it instantiates a common sense that operates as a kind of gendered neoliberalism. It has both spread out and intensified across contemporary culture and is becoming increasingly dependent upon a psychological register built around cultivating the ‘right’ kinds of dispositions for surviving in neoliberal society: confidence, resilience and positive mental attitude. Together these affective, cultural and psychic features of postfeminism exert a powerful regulatory force. This article forms part of ‘On the Move’, a special issue marking the twentieth anniversary of the journal. It also heads up a special online dossier on ‘Postfeminism in the European Journal of Cultural Studies’.
What is the ‘Television’ of the European Journal of Cultural Studies? Reflections on 20 years of the study of television in the Journal
Authors: Geraghty Christine
Published: November 2017

Over 20 years, the European Journal of Cultural Studies has been an important resource for those writing and thinking about television, and this article reflects on the rich material contained in the long run of issues published since 1998. As part of ‘On the Move’, the Special Issue to mark the 20th anniversary of the journal, it also introduces the special online dossier of articles on television. It offers an impressionistic reflection on the author’s experiences of engaging with work on television as it has appeared in this journal. In homage to Raymond Williams, that great writer about television (and much else), this article focuses on three key words which seem crucial to this enterprise – journal, television and European.
Epistemological eclecticism: Difference and the ‘Other’ in the Balkans and beyond
Authors: Brković Čarna
Published: November 2017

This article's concern is epistemological in that it seeks understanding of the nature of ethnographic knowledge production. Its background assumption is that decolonization of anthropology requires decolonization of anthropological epistemology. The article argues that anthropology is not so much a study of the ‘Other’, but an effort to acquire knowledge by translating across some sort of socio-historically established difference. Anthropologists do not acquire knowledge necessarily by translating between modern, Western European, and non-modern, ‘Other’ conceptual arrangements. Instead, the anthropological production of knowledge requires an effort to figure out the relevant differences and similarities between an anthropologist, their interlocutors, and their audiences, as well as a translation across these differences and similarities. In order to demonstrate this point, the article focuses on 19th- and 20th-century ethnographic discussions of rural joint families called zadruga in the Balkans. Through a critical reading of two works on zadruga, it demonstrates that anthropologists in the Balkans were epistemologically eclectic, in that they could make use of strategies of both ‘anthropology abroad’ and ‘auto-anthropology’, or combine and reverse them. While this instance of epistemological eclecticism is the result of widespread uncertainties concerning the status of the ‘modern’ and the ‘non-modern’ as organizational categories in the Balkans, it has direct implications for the production of anthropological knowledge generally.
Reframing assessment: Reconceptualising relationships and acknowledging emotional labour
Authors: Cooper Maria
Published: November 2017

Implementing relationships-based pedagogies in infant and toddler settings might assume that teachers’ experiences of emotional labour will be acknowledged. This assumption may be complicated by assessment practices that both rely on and detract from relationship-building opportunities with infants and toddlers. Assessment also relies on reciprocal relationships between teachers, and between teachers and families. Drawing on sociocultural theoretical perspectives, this article illustrates how one team of infant-toddler teachers in Aotearoa-New Zealand reframed their assessment understandings and practices to acknowledge their experiences of emotional labour with infants and toddlers. Consequently, positive changes in the teachers’ relationships with children, with families and with each other eventuated. The author argues that reconceptualising relationships in infant-toddler settings requires an understanding of assessment as a reflexive, relational process that can occur during everyday interactions, and emotional labour as central to relationship-building. Implications include teachers’ need for time, reflective dialogue and support to address tensions between assessment and relational pedagogy, so that relationships might be reconceptualised and the importance of emotional labour acknowledged.
Modalities of agency in a corporate volunteering program: Cultivating a resource of neoliberal governmentality
Authors: Shachar Itamar Y , Hustinx Lesley
Published: November 2017

Recent scholarly discussions on agency relate the concept to privilege, affect and subject formation, while challenging its equation with resistance to structural limitations. This article utilizes these discussions in a new terrain of ethnographic exploration: the engagement of corporate volunteers with underprivileged youth, coordinated by a transnational nonprofit that relies on corporate sponsorship. Based on a multi-sited ethnographic study that followed these activities in the US, Belgium and Israel, the article describes how corporate volunteers and coordinators projected an individualized and optimistic agency onto the beneficiaries of their activity, while perceiving their own agency as limited despite their privileged position. The simultaneous use of these two contradictory notions of agency governs employees’ engagement at work and their ideological adherence to corporate capitalism, making ‘agency’ a resource of neoliberal governmentality. These ethnographic insights contribute to explaining why corporations are increasingly interested in promoting volunteering as a salient Corporate Social Responsibility strategy.
What is yet to come? Couples living with dementia orienting themselves towards an uncertain future
Authors: Nilsson Elin , Olaison Anna
Published: November 2017

Dementia is a chronic illness that not only has substantial effects on the life as well as future for the individuals diagnosed, but also affects those with whom these individuals have relationships. This has implications that need to be addressed by professional practice, not least since social work research has shown that the support available for couples managing dementia is insufficient. There are few studies today of how couples jointly talk about their future with dementia and how they adapt to it as a couple and as individuals. Therefore, this article explores how couples in which one of the spouses has a diagnosis of dementia jointly talk about an uncertain future with dementia. The study benefits from using the conversation analytic method when studying video-recorded interactions among 15 couples living with dementia. The results show that either or both spouses can actively request knowledge about the progression of dementia, but at the same time, the spouses without dementia express awareness of the uncertainty that is connected to a future with dementia. Moreover, either or both spouses may also express contentment with “not knowing.” In all examples, one or several of the participants alternate between taking epistemic stances of knowing and unknowing as well as ascribing stances to others, and spouses can display similar or oppositional stances. The findings suggest a need for developing communicative practice for couples to jointly talk about dementia, as well as a need for social workers to find ways of providing emotional support.
Endorsement of Social and Personal Values Predicts the Desirability of Men and Women as Long-Term Partners
Authors: Lopes Guilherme S. , Barbaro Nicole , Sela Yael , Jeffery Austin J. , Pham Michael N. , Shackelford Todd K. , Zeigler-Hill Virgil
Published: November 2017

A prospective romantic partner’s desirability as a long-term partner may be affected by the values that he or she endorses. However, few studies have examined the effects of “values” on a person’s desirability as a long-term partner. We hypothesized that individuals who endorse social values (vs. personal values) will be perceived as more desirable long-term partners (Hypothesis 1) and that the endorsement of social values will be especially desirable in a male (vs. female) long-term partner (Hypothesis 2). The current study employed a 2 (sex of prospective partner: male vs. female) × 2 (values of prospective partner: personal vs. social) × 2 (physical attractiveness of prospective partner: unattractive vs. highly attractive) mixed-model design. Participants were 339 undergraduates (174 men, 165 women), with ages varying between 18 and 33 years ( M = 19.9, SD = 3.6), and mostly in a romantic relationship (53.7%). Participants reported interest in a long-term relationship with prospective partners depicted in four scenarios (within subjects), each varying along the dimensions of values (personal vs. social) and physical attractiveness (unattractive vs. highly attractive). Individuals endorsing personal values (vs. social values) and men (vs. women) endorsing personal values were rated as less desirable as long-term partners. The current research adds to the partner preferences literature by demonstrating that an individual’s ascribed values influence others’ perceptions of desirability as a long-term partner and that these effects are consistently sex differentiated, as predicted by an evolutionary perspective on romantic partner preferences.
Assessing offshore wind turbine reliability and availability
Authors: Lazakis Iraklis , Kougioumtzoglou Maria A
Published: November 2017

The renewables sector and particularly offshore wind energy is a fast developing industry over the last few years. Especially, activities related to the installation, and operation and maintenance of offshore wind turbines become a challenging task with inherent risks. This article assesses the risks related to the above stages of a wind farm lifecycle using the failure mode, effects and criticality analysis and hazard identification methods. All works, from installation to operation and maintenance, are considered together with the wind turbine main components. An integrated risk analysis methodology is presented addressing personnel Safety (S), Environmental impact (E), Asset integrity (A), and Operation (O). The above is supplemented by a cost analysis with the aid of Bayesian belief networks method to assist the decision-making process related to installation, and operation and maintenance tasks. All major risks and critical wind turbine components are identified as well as measures are suggested to prevent or mitigate them. Moreover, inspection and maintenance plans are elaborated in general for the mentioned activities.
Philosophical reimaginings of educational places and policy: Through the metaphor of a wardrobe
Authors: Alerby Eva , Arndt Sonja , Westman Susanne
Published: November 2017

The aim of this paper is to challenge the physical and conceptual boundaries of educational places and spaces with the use of metaphor: the story of Professor Kirke’s magic wardrobe in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis (1950) . By explicating and theorising the concerns that arise, we provoke diverse ways of thinking about the complexities of shifting, expanding, constantly evolving educational spaces and places. In our theorisations, we draw on the philosophy of the life-world through Maurice Merleau-Ponty, on a post-structural approach through Julia Kristeva’s work, and on the new-materialist perspective of Gilles Deleuze. As these three philosophical perspectives draw upon different basic assumptions about humans and the world, they also illuminate different aspects of a variety of phenomena and concepts, which we elaborate on in this paper to reach a more comprehensive understanding of educational spaces and places. Our argument arises from philosophical engagements with the story of the Pevensie siblings’ transformation – and transportation – to Narnia through the wardrobe, with notions of educational openings and opportunities, to explore possibilities for reimagining the conceptions and realities of places and spaces in education. To conclude, citizens of today, including children, students, teachers, politicians and researchers, need to discuss basic assumptions for education and policy to reimagine the entangled complexities of educational spaces and places.
What kind of information and communication technologies do patients with COPD prefer to use? A cross-sectional study in Latin America
Authors: Cherrez Ojeda Ivan , Calderon JC , Jove O López , Guerreros A , Plaza Karin J , Cano Jose A , Vanegas E , Felix M , Mata V , Calero E , Cherrez A , Simancas-Racines D
Published: November 2017

The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency of uses and preferences of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among Latin American chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional survey study on Latin American COPD patients. The adapted version of the Michigan questionnaire was employed in eligible outpatients in different cities of Latin America. We categorized age and educational levels into three groups. The time passed since COPD diagnosis was categorized as ≤5 years and >5 years. χ2 and crude and adjusted logistic regressions were performed. A total of 256 patients were enrolled with a mean age of 68.7 years old. The most recurrently used ICTs were short message service (SMS; 47.1%) and WhatsApp (30.7%) for receiving COPD information. Moreover, SMS (85.8%) and Facebook (36.1%) were rated as useful for asking physicians information about COPD. Regression analysis showed that the best predictor for patients using ICTs, for any purpose, was higher education (undergraduate or graduate school). Understanding the preferences of ICTs among COPD patients could help improve patient’s outcomes through developing applications in response to specific requirements of each patient.
Examining the Impact of HRD Practices on Organizational Commitment and Intention to Stay Within Selected Software Companies in India
Authors: Uraon Ram Shankar
Published: November 2017

The Problem

Software companies are knowledge-based organizations, they invest considerably on human resource development (HRD) practices to overcome the shortage of competent workforce, to stay competitive in the dynamic and competitive business environment of today. Furthermore, software companies are continuously involved in HRD interventions for the development of employees; problems such as low levels of employee commitment, employee engagement, and employee intention to stay are the biggest challenges.

The Solution

This study examined the impact of comprehensive HRD practices on organizational commitment (affective, continuance, and normative commitment), and employee intention to stay. In addition, it examined the impacts of organizational commitment on employee intention to stay. Survey responses were collected from 516 employees working in different software companies in India. Data were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) method. Results showed that HRD practices have positive impacts on employee intention to stay as well as on the three components of organizational commitment. Furthermore, only affective and normative commitments were found to positively affect employees’ intention to stay, whereas relationship between continuance commitment and intention to stay was found to be negative and not significant.

The Stakeholders

Implications for software companies, HRD professionals, and scholars: First, software companies may like to formulate their strategies keeping organizational commitment and employee intention to stay in focus. Second, human resource (HR) managers are encouraged to develop a metric to assess the value added by each HRD practice in managing attrition. This study contributes to the existing concepts on links between HRD practices and attitudinal variables by suggesting a theoretical framework. Finally, it provides empirical evidence that HRD practices in software companies must be sound to enhance employee intention to stay and organizational commitment in India.
Bidirectional Regulation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Proliferation by Nicotine Is Mediated Through Wnt Signaling Pathway
Authors: Qu Qinglan , Zhang Fengrong , Zhang Xiang , Yin Weihong
Published: November 2017

Introduction:

Nicotine is a key biologically active compound of cigarettes. Although nicotine is a risk factor for various health issues, it may also be beneficial when treated at moderate concentrations. Nicotine has been shown to bidirectionally regulate stem cell proliferation and differentiation depending on the doses applied. It is not clear whether or how nicotine regulates mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) survival and proliferation.

Methods:

Mouse embryonic stem cells were cultured in the presence of 0.01, 0.1, 1, or 10 μM nicotine. The effects of nicotine on cell survival and proliferation were examined. The signaling pathway that mediated these effects was analyzed.

Results:

Cell viability was not affected by nicotine at all 4 concentrations examined. The proliferation of mESCs was promoted by 0.01 and 0.1 μM nicotine and suppressed by 1 and 10 μM. This dose-dependent regulation was mediated through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Modulation of Wnt/β-catenin activity either worsens or reverses the effects of nicotine.

Conclusions:

We have identified a bidirectional function of nicotine on mESC proliferation through regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and this is associated with different doses. This study suggests that concentration of nicotine is a crucial aspect for consideration when designing research or therapeutic strategies.
Routine colonoscopy, diabetic eye care, mammogram and pap smear screening in vascular surgery patients
Authors: Lee Young , Aurshina Afsha , Lee Aaron J , Ackerman Israel M , Chait Michael , Novak Daniel , Hingorani Anil , Ascher Enrico , Marks Natalie
Published: November 2017

Objective

An increasing emphasis on preventive medicine has been supported by the recent reforms in United States health care system. Majority of the patients seen in vascular surgery clinics are elderly with more extensive medical comorbidities compared to the general population. Thus, these patients would be expected at higher risk for common malignant pathologies such as colon, breast and cervical cancer, and nonmalignant diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. This study looked at the screening compliance of vascular patients compared to data provided by Centers for Disease Control on the national and state levels.

Methods

The office records of 851 consecutive patients seen in Brooklyn and Staten Island vascular clinics were examined. We queried patients regarding their last colonoscopy, diabetic eye exams, recent mammograms, and Pap smears. Our patient screening compliance was compared between the two clinics as well as to the national and New York state data provided by Centers for Disease Control. Compliance with regard to patient’s age was also examined.

Results

Patients referred to the Staten Island office have a better colonoscopy compliance compared to the Brooklyn office ( P = .0001) and the national Centers for Disease Control average ( P = .026). Compliance for mammography and cervical cancer screening was higher in Staten Island office compared to the Brooklyn office ( P = .0001, P < .0001), respectively. Compliance was lower for Pap smear ( P = .0273) in Brooklyn when compared to the national average. Compliance for colonoscopy increased with age for both clinics ( P = .001, P < .001), while Pap smear decreased ( P < .001, P = .004).

Conclusion

Patients in vascular clinics in an urban setting had better adherence to screening protocol than the national and state average, with the exception of female patients for colonoscopy in our Brooklyn vascular office. There exists variability in both patient populations based on sub-specific locality and demographics including socioeconomic status. Overall, however patients in Staten Island had better compliance and adherence to the screening protocol than Brooklyn vascular clinic.
Assessing the knowledge to practice gap: The asthma practices of community pharmacists
Authors: Guirguis Lisa M.
Published: November 2017

Background:

Community pharmacists are well positioned to identify patients with poorly controlled asthma and trained to optimize asthma therapy. Yet, over 90% of patients with asthma live with uncontrolled disease. We sought to understand the current state of asthma management in practice in Alberta and explore the potential use of the Chat, Check and Chart (CCC) model to enhance pharmacists’ care for patients with asthma.

Methods:

An 18-question survey was used to examine pharmacists’ monitoring of asthma control and prior use of the CCC tools. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the response rate, sample demographics, asthma management and CCC use. Survey validity and reliability were established.

Results:

One hundred randomly selected pharmacists completed the online survey with a 40% (100/250) response rate. A third of responding pharmacists reported talking to most patients about asthma symptoms and medication, with a greater focus on talking with patients on new prescriptions over those with ongoing therapies. Fewer than 1 in 10 pharmacists routinely talked to most patients about asthma action plans (AAPs). The majority of pharmacists (76%) were familiar with the CCC model, and 83% of those reported that the CCC model influenced their practice anywhere from somewhat (45%) to a great deal (38%). Both scales had good reliability, and factor analysis provided support for scale validity.

Conclusions:

There was considerable variability in pharmacists’ activities in monitoring asthma. Pharmacists rarely used AAPs. The CCC model had a high level of self-reported familiarity, use and influence among pharmacists.
Mothers’ perspectives on the lived experience of children with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour
Authors: Kiernan Joann , Mitchell Duncan , Stansfield Jois , Taylor Carol
Published: November 2017

Children with intellectual disability and behavioural needs (challenging behaviour) are vulnerable to exclusion from services and communities. The situation is exacerbated by difficulties in accessing appropriate support and services to effectively meet the needs of children and carers. Family perspectives on the ‘lived experience’ of children can provide insight into how behavioural needs can affect their ability to access everyday experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers of children with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviours. Phenomenological thematic analysis provided four key themes: finding our way; square services, round needs; behaviour touches everything and belonging. Experience of inclusion and exclusion was a central tenet of the lived experience. Recommendations call for timely proactive and bespoke interventions to identify and support children at risk of exclusion from communities. Early intervention and effective local provision will avoid increased burdens placed on families and services, in supporting children whose needs are currently unmet within child-centred provision.
“Call the witness”: Romani Holocaust related art in Austria and Marika Schmiedt’s will to memory
Authors: Asavei Maria Alina
Published: November 2017

Both academic and popular culture discourses are inhabited by statements that “pathologize” the ways Roma remember the Holocaust and other traumatic events. Against these claims, this article’s main aim is to explore contemporary artistic production from Austria which fosters “Roma will to memory” within an assemblage of political practices and discourses. To this end, I will explore Marika Schmiedt’s body of artistic memory work from 1999 to 2015, relying on a critical visual approach. The impetus for this exploration is Slawomir Kapralski’s assertion that the actual cases of active remembering and commemoration among Roma and Sinti would render the traditional approach to Roma as “people without memory and history” inaccurate. As this case study shows, there is no such a thing as “Roma indifference to recollection,” but rather, the testimony about the traumatic past is silenced or obstructed by the lack of the infrastructure, the bureaucracy of the archives, and the strategic forgetting politics.
Interpreting conflicting narratives: Young people’s recollections of the terrorist attacks in Norway 2011
Authors: Lödén Hans
Published: November 2017

In 2011, a Norwegian right-wing extremist killed 77 mostly young people in an attack on proponents of multiculturalism. A critical event of this magnitude is important in a nation’s collective memory. For young people’s political socialization and value orientation, it could be crucial. Adolescents’ memories and interpretations of terrorism are an understudied area. On the basis of different memory narratives among ethnic Norwegian adolescents, who were 13 or 14 in 2011, implications of the attacks, seen as a case of collective memory formation of terrorism, are discussed in terms of how young people remember and interpret the attacks and negotiate between competing narratives. Focus group interviews conducted in 2015–2016 with 18-year-olds showed a marked tension between support for democratic values and numerous references to individuals and organizations having critical views on immigration and diversity and the importance of active agents promoting the conflicting narratives.
Rate of Subtalar Joint Arthrodesis After Retrograde Tibiotalocalcaneal Arthrodesis With Intramedullary Nail Fixation: Evaluation of the RAIN Database
Authors: Dujela Michael , Hyer Christopher F. , Berlet Gregory C.
Published: November 2017

Background. Hindfoot arthritis or significant deformity involving the ankle and subtalar joint (STJ) is a disabling condition with few salvage options. Many surgeons note a decreased STJ fusion rate compared with ankle union when a retrograde nail construct is used. The purpose of this study was to report the STJ fusion rate of tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis with retrograde nail. Methods. A chart and radiographic review was performed. TTC fusions performed in patients with osteoarthritis, posttraumatic arthritis, or deformity correction with retrograde nail fixation were included. Exclusion criteria included neuropathy, Charcot arthropathy, and failed total ankle replacement. Results. Ultimately, 66 retrograde TTC fusions (in 63 patients) met inclusion criteria. The average age was 57.0 years. There were 29 female and 34 male patients. Radiographic fusion of the ankle and STJ was demonstrated in 68.2% of the patients. There were 11 cases (16.7%) of ankle arthrodesis with STJ nonunion, 6 cases (9.1%) of STJ fusion but ankle nonunion, and 4 cases (6.1%) of stable radiographic nonunion of both joints. The mean time to subtalar fusion was 112.1 days. One patient required revision surgery and conversion to below-knee amputation. One patient required a CROW walker for assistance with gait. Conclusion. A 22.8% radiographic nonunion rate of the STJ was noted in retrograde TTC fusion. Despite this, patients were stable and pain free.

Levels of Evidence: Level IV: Retrospective Case series
Non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: When is a second angiography indicated?
Authors: Bashir Asma , Mikkelsen Ronni , Sørensen Leif , Sunde Niels
Published: November 2017

Purpose

Repeat imaging in patients with non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (NASAH) remains controversial. We aim to report our experience with NASAH with different hemorrhage patterns, and to investigate the need for further diagnostic workup to determine the underlying cause of hemorrhage.

Method

We conducted a retrospective analysis of all spontaneous SAH with an initial negative computed tomography (CT) with angiography (CTA) and/or digital subtraction angiography (DSA) from October 2011 through May 2017. According to the bleeding pattern on the admission CT scan, NASAH was divided into two subgroups: (1) perimesencephalic SAH (PMSAH) and (2) non-perimesencephalic SAH (nPMSAH). Radiological data included the admission CT, CTA, DSA, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with angiography (MRA).

Results

Seventy-four patients met the inclusion criteria. Thirty-nine (52.7%) patients had PMSAH on the initial CT scan, and 35 (47.3%) had nPMSAH. All underwent CTA and/or DSA revealing no vascular abnormalities. Forty-seven (63.5%) patients underwent subsequent diagnostic workup. DSA was performed in all patients at least once. No abnormalities were found on the repeat DSA or other radiological follow-up studies except in one (1.4%) patient with nPMSAH, in whom a follow-up DSA revealed a small saccular anterior choroidal artery aneurysm, considered to be the source of hemorrhage.

Conclusion

A repeat DSA may not be needed in case of PMSAH, if the initial negative DSA is technically adequate with absence of hematoma and vasospasm. In contrast, a follow-up DSA should be mandatory for confirming or excluding vascular pathology in case of nPMSAH in order to prevent rebleeding.
Clozapine discontinuation in early schizophrenia: a retrospective case note review of patients under an early intervention service
Authors: Shaker Andrew , Jones Rowena
Published: November 2017

Aim:

Research in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia has demonstrated that clozapine discontinuation is associated with poor outcomes. There is, however, a paucity of research investigating the impact of clozapine discontinuation specifically in younger patients with more recent onset schizophrenia. A case note review was therefore conducted to ascertain medium-term prognoses in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia under an early intervention service (EIS) following clozapine discontinuation.

Methods:

The case notes of 25 patients under the care of Birmingham EIS who discontinued clozapine were examined retrospectively. Reasons for discontinuation were recorded. Clinical outcomes including total duration of inpatient or home treatment admission, antipsychotic dose, number of alternative antipsychotics prescribed and adverse events were recorded for both the year before and the year after stopping clozapine. Statistical comparisons of pre- and post-discontinuation clinical outcomes determined whether discontinuation had negative effects.

Results:

There was no significant difference between the pre- and post-discontinuation clinical status following clozapine discontinuation. More than half (56%) of patients remained stable after stopping clozapine. Mean inpatient or home treatment stay rose from 29.7 to 62.6 days ( p = 0.155), total antipsychotic dose from 50.1% of British National Formulary (BNF) limits to 60.5% ( p = 0.627), number of alternative antipsychotics prescribed from 1.28 to 1.80 ( p = 0.186), number of hospital/home treatment episodes from 0.20 to 0.44 ( p = 0.083) and number of adverse events from 0 to 0.20 ( p = 0.059). Non-compliance was the main reason for discontinuation (44%, n = 11).

Conclusions:

This is the first clozapine discontinuation study specifically considering EIS patients. Discontinuation did not lead to significant effects on 1 year outcomes, though the study is underpowered. These findings may be used to inform future prospective cohort discontinuation studies.
Mathematics and the Anthropocene equation: Comment on Gaffney O and Steffen W (2017) The Anthropocene equation. The Anthropocene Review 4:53-61
Authors: Heijungs Reinout , Boersema Jan J , Huppes Gjalt
Published: November 2017

A recent paper in The Anthropocene Review introduces an ‘Anthropocene equation’, which is assumed to model the Anthropocene. While welcoming mathematical treatment as such, we criticize the specific approach for being sloppy, wrong and empty. While the use of mathematics in the criticized paper suggests a high level of scientific rigor, it actually weakens the message rather than strengthens it.
Disease factors associated with spousal influence on diabetic diet: An exploratory comparison of Vietnamese American and White older adults
Authors: August Kristin J , Dowell Alexandra , Sorkin Dara H
Published: November 2017

This study examined whether disease-specific factors were important for how and how often White versus Vietnamese American spouses influenced their partners’ diabetic diet. Results from a cross-sectional survey of 145 older adult spouses whose partners had type 2 diabetes revealed that Vietnamese American spouses used more frequent spousal influence (positive and negative) than White spouses. In addition, most of the factors associated with spousal influence differed for Vietnamese American and White spouses. Findings from this study highlight the importance of proximal and sociocultural factors in understanding older spouses’ influence on their partners’ diabetic diet.
Sex Differences in the Cortisol Response to the Trier Social Stress Test in Depressed and Nondepressed Adolescents
Authors: Mazurka Raegan , Wynne-Edwards Katherine E. , Harkness Kate L.
Published: November 2017

Two of the most robust findings in depression research are (a) that women are twice as likely to become depressed than men and (b) that stress is an important risk factor for depression. Although sex differences in stress reactivity may be an important determinant of differential risk for depression, few studies have examined sex differences in neurobiological reactivity to stress. The purpose of the current study was to assess sex differences in the HPA axis response to stress in depressed versus healthy controls by comparing the cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test in a community sample of adolescents (ages 12–18). Depressed boys showed significantly heightened cortisol reactivity compared with depressed girls, whose response was blunted compared with nondepressed girls. This diverging pattern of cortisol reactivity to stress among depressed girls and boys may help to explain the sex difference in depression prevalence that emerges during the adolescent period.
Book Review: James Manor, The Writings of James Manor: Politics and State–Society Relations in India
Authors: Anusha
Published: November 2017

James Manor, The Writings of James Manor: Politics and State–Society Relations in India. With a Foreword by Niraja Gopal Jayal. New Delhi: Orient BlackSwan. 2016. 366 pages. ₹795.
Book Review: Kanchan Chandra. (Ed.), Democratic Dynasties: State, Party and Family in Contemporary Indian Politics
Authors: Malaviya Ritambhara
Published: November 2017

Kanchan Chandra. (Ed.), Democratic Dynasties: State, Party and Family in Contemporary Indian Politics. New Delhi: Cambridge University Press. 2016. 279 pages. ₹495.
Book Review: Anuj Bhuwania, Courting the People: Public litigation in Post Emergency India
Authors: Sharan Awadhendra
Published: November 2017

Anuj Bhuwania, Courting the People: Public litigation in Post Emergency India. Delhi: Cambridge University Press. 2017. 166 pages. ₹495.
Book Review: Achin Vanik, After the Bomb and Ali Ahmed, India’s Doctrine Puzzle—Limiting War in South Asia
Authors: Nayan Rajiv
Published: November 2017

Achin Vanik, After the Bomb. New Delhi: Orient BlackSwan. 2015. 213 pages. ₹575.

Ali Ahmed, India’s Doctrine Puzzle—Limiting War in South Asia. New Delhi: Routledge. 2014. 240 pages. ₹695.
Challenges of Human Rights Literacy in Developing Countries: Lessons from South Africa and Bangladesh on Conducting Street Law for the School Students
Authors: Mizan Arpeeta Shams
Published: November 2017

This article provides a comparative analysis of the experience, challenges and future prospects of Street Law programmes as conducted in two developing countries: South Africa and Bangladesh. The Street Law programmes in South Africa were initiated as a means towards developing democracy and an empowered society, while in Bangladesh, Protidiner Ain started as a law clinic aimed at introducing law students to social justice issues. Despite proving to be successful, the human rights literacy programmes in developing countries have faced tremendous challenges: starting from the basic question of finding to surviving under authoritarian government regimes. This article takes South Africa and Bangladesh as test cases and shows how the socio-political reality and economic problems in developing countries affect such programmes both positively and negatively. It also discusses the various stages Street Law went through before being established and recognized as a tool for social justice. The challenges faced by the two countries have also helped create some of the best practices for each other to be followed and further developed.
Legal Clinics and Access to Justice in Croatia: Perspectives and Challenges
Authors: Jelinic Zvonimir
Published: November 2017

In this article, I dwell upon the Croatian system of free legal aid in civil and administrative matters. The background of the system, its problems and deficiencies are firstly discussed. Primary attention is on the legal framework for legal clinics, their position within the system of legal education, the importance of their role within the system of free legal aid, types of legal assistance that legal clinics can provide and the way they are obtaining financial support for their operations. We shall also try to foresee the future of Croatian clinical legal education under the present normative scheme and propose some steps that, we firmly believe, have the actual capacity to promote further development of clinical legal education within the system of free legal aid.