bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Do you love me? An empirical analysis of the feeling of love amongst children in out-of-home care
Authors: Lausten Mette , Frederiksen Signe
Published: August 2017

Questions about whether love can be offered in residential child care units, whether combining child protection and safeguarding in social work with loving care or care with love is possible, and whether children and young people feel loved by someone who is paid to care for them, have raised long-standing issues. Social pedagogy puts such questions at the core of its philosophy and practice, and has been a fundamental part of care in Denmark for many years. Drawing on a Danish survey of 1,400 children in out-of-home care, this paper analyses the subjective feeling of love amongst children living in out-of-home care. The main moderating factors for feeling loved are the feeling of security and the feeling of social support, the tangible counterpart of Honneth’s concept of recognition.
Cultivating human beings, not human doings: Challenging discourses of self-care
Authors: Nicole Little J.
Published: August 2017

To what do we owe the project of human doings over human beings? Self-care has long been sanctioned as the root of Child and Youth Care (CYC) practitioner resilience. This argument is faulty in its individualistic and “doing” ways. Instead, the author proposes that we need to connect with vulnerability and love as a means to accomplish self and other-care. Critiquing contemporary discourses of self-care, the author draws on Buddhist philosophy and Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT) as a means to deconstruct this.
FOSTERING RESTORATION The impact of love and second families in residential care
Authors: Jones Rachel L. , Obenque Rose Ann
Published: August 2017

My Refuge House Ministry (MRH), a shelter for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) and abuse in the Philippines, functioned under a Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy approach when it was founded in 2009. However, an assessment of their programmes in 2014 found that the girls felt uncomfortable with the counseling approach and trapped by the staff and shelter guidelines. As a result, MRH underwent a complete restructuring of their program in August of 2014, moving from a clinically focused approach to a strengths-based one, which was more culturally appropriate for the girls and staff members. Since its restructuring, MRH has developed a family-like environment between staff and girls, drawing upon their Filipino culture and way of life. The results have seen mutual growth in relationships between staff and girls and an increased level of respect between both parties. MRH has created a second family by advocating for a loving and caring atmosphere, which they believe to be the foundation for any healing environment. This paper describes why MRH operates from this approach, how this approach has been implemented, and the differences observed in the staff and girls since its introduction.
Preliminaries Pages
Authors: Linguistics Journal Colombian Applied
Published: August 2017

This file contents: Editorial Team information, Reviewer Board Information, Code of Ethics for Best Publication Practices.
Young citizens of the information era: Attitudes towards the political use of digital social networks
Bilgi çağının genç yurttaşları: Dijital sosyal ağların siyasal temelde kullanımına dair tutumlar
Authors: Ünal Serdar
Published: August 2017

Today, the imprtance of internet or web based communication is getting more and more important. These new web technologies, especially digital social networking sites, have created unique areas for online communication. There is an important literature on the use of these digital social networks, especially for political purposes. The main sources of motivation for the political use of social networks; the factors that prevent the use of these venues on the political basis; as well as the social effects or consequences of the political use of social media or social networks in democratic regimes are important issues. In this way, the tendency of young citizens, defined as net generation, to share social and political ideas in digital social networks and their attitudes towards using these venues as a platform of political expression have been examined. Young people's meanings that they assign to political activities in digital social networks, as well as how they evaluate the political activities in these settings as a part of their daily lives were analyzed empirically through quantitative and qualitative data. Extended English abstract is in the end of PDF (TURKISH) file.ÖzetGünümüzde internet veya web temelli iletişimin önemi gittikçe daha da artmaktadır. Bu yeni web teknolojilerinden özellikle dijital sosyal paylaşım ağları çevrimiçi iletişim için eşsiz alanlar yaratmıştır. Birçok farklı kullanım amacına hizmet eden bu ağların özellikle siyasal temeldeki kullanımına yönelik önemli bir literatür oluşmaktadır. Dijital sosyal ağların siyasal amaçlı kullanılmasındaki temel motivasyon kaynakları, bu mecraların siyasal temelde kullanımını engelleyici faktörler ve ayrıca bunun demokratik rejimlerde bireysel ve toplumsal düzeydeki etkileri veya sonuçları önem arz etmektedir. Bu yönde, çalışmada ağ kuşağı olarak tanımlanan genç yurttaşların dijital sosyal ağlarda sosyal ve siyasal fikirlerini paylaşma eğilimleri ve bu mecraları bir siyasal tartışma platformu olarak kullanmaya yönelik tutumları incelenmiştir. Başka bir deyişle, makalede genç kuşakların dijital sosyal ağlardaki siyasal içerikli etkinliklere yükledikleri anlamlar ve bu mecralardaki siyasal etkinlikleri gündelik hayatlarında nereye konumlandırdıkları meselesi nicel ve nitel veriler aracılığıyla ampirik düzeyde irdelenmiştir.
Infinitely many solutions for cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equations in dimension four
Authors: Vétois Jérôme , Wang Shaodong
Published: August 2017

We extend Chen, Wei and Yan’s constructions of families of solutions with unbounded energies [5] to the case of cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equations in the optimal dimension four.
Optimal pensions in aging economies
Authors: Heer Burkhard
Published: August 2017

We derive the optimal replacement ratio of the pay-as-you-go public pension system for the US economy in a life-cycle model that 1) replicates the empirical wage heterogeneity and 2) endogenizes the individual’s labor supply decision. The optimal net pension replacement ratio is found to be in the range of 0%–43% depending on demographic parameters and, in particular, the Frisch labor supply elasticity. Reducing the pensions from the present to the optimal pension policies implies considerable welfare gains amounting to approximately 0.1%–4.1% of total consumption. The welfare increase is particularly pronounced for the greyer US population that is projected for the time after the demographic transition.
Optimal Term Structure in a Monetary Economy with Incomplete Markets
Authors: Hoelle Matthew
Published: August 2017

In a stochastic economy, the rebalancing of short and long term government debt positions can have real effects when markets are incomplete. This paper analyzes both stationary and dynamic policy rules for the term structure of interest rates. After proving the existence of a recursive representation of equilibrium, necessary conditions for Pareto efficiency are characterized. The necessary conditions are equivalent for both stationary and dynamic policy rules.
Electrospun amorphous medicated nanocomposites fabricated using a Teflon-based concentric spinneret
Authors: Wang Qing , Yu Deng-Guang , Zhou Sun-Yi , Li Chen , Zhao Min
Published: August 2017

Facile methods to improve the dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble drugs are highly sought after. In this study, a modified coaxial electrospinning process was exploited to create medicated amorphous nanocomposites, an approach characterized by the application of a Teflon-coated coaxial spinneret. The hydrophilic polymer hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and the active ingredient tamoxifen citrate (TAM) were selected as the drug carrier and model drug, respectively. Their electrospun nanocomposites showed linear morphology with the drug presented in an amorphous state. The loaded cargoes could be released from the nanocomposites simultaneously when they were placed in the dissolution media, showing faster dissolution rates than their counterparts (physical mixtures). Based on the reasonable application of the polymeric carrier, the reported protocols not only provided an approach to enhance the dissolution of poorly water-soluble drugs, but also exhibited a method to facilitate the implementation of coaxial electrospinning.
Learning to meet language demands in multi-step mathematical argumentations: Design research on a subject-specific genre
Authors: Prediger Susanne , Hein Kerstin
Published: August 2017

Formal multi-step mathematical argumentations are a typical case of a highly specified subject-specific genre in the technical language with challenging demands in the academic language of schooling. The design research project presented here has the dual aim of (1) specifying the structural and language demands of formal mathematical argumentations and (2) designing a teaching-learning arrangement that uses structural scaffolding to foster students to successively meet these demands. These dual aims are pursued by an in-depth empirical analysis of students’ processes on the micro-level. For this purpose, 15 design experiments were conducted with 10 pairs of students in three design experiment cycles. The first two cycles served to develop the structural scaffolding and the third cycle served to investigate the initiated learning processes and the language demands on the lexical and syntactical level. The qualitative in-depth analysis of the teaching-learning processes in the design experiments shows how students can successively learn to conduct multi-step argumentations when supported by structural scaffolding. Expressing the argumentations in an adequate way, however, is an additional challenge. The empirical analysis reveals deep insights into the complex interplay of conditional, causal, and consecutive phrases that are necessary to combine premises, arguments, and conclusions in a logical sound way. The design research study has theoretical consequences for conceptualizing subject-specific discursive demands as well as practical implications as one design outcome is a prototype of the learning arrangement to foster students in a mathematics- and language-integrated way.
A new approach for the polymerization of tetraphenyltetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane by an environmentally friendly catalyst called Maghnite-H+
Authors: Kherroub Djamal Eddine , Belbachir Mohammed , Lamouri Saad
Published: August 2017

This work is devoted to the study of the cationic ring opening polymerization of tetraphenyltetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4Ph,Me), using a solid green catalyst prepared by the activation of a natural clay by sulfuric acid (Maghnite-H+). This treatment leads to the spacing of the montmorillonite sheets due to the substitution of the existing interlayer cations by the protons of the acid. This consequence is clearly shown on the X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum. The polymerization reaction proceeded in bulk and under mild conditions. Various tests were carried out by changing the temperature, the time and the catalyst mass content in order to increase, at the same time, the yield of the reaction and the average molecular mass of the polyphenylmethylsiloxane (PPMS) obtained. The structure of the PPMS obtained was identified by infrared (IR),1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and13C NMR analyses over different periods of time. The thermal behavior was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. At the end, in order to show the role played by the Maghnite-H+during the various reaction stages, a reaction mechanism was proposed.
Emphysematous infections of the urinary tract – an audit of 20 patients with review of literature
Authors: Barua Sasanka Kumar , Bora Somor Jyoti , Bagchi Puskal Kumar , Sarma Debanga , Phukan Mandeep , Baruah Saumar Jyoti , Rajeev Thekampadum Puthenveetil
Published: August 2017

Emphysematous infection of the urinary tract is a rapidly progressive, necrotizing infection which results into collection of gas and subsequent destruction of the tissues. Although very rare among general population, such necrotizing infection is common, particularly among those with compromised immune status. With the rising trend of people afflicted with diabetes mellitus globally, this fulminating infection may pose a serious threat to the medical fraternity. A high index of suspicion and abdominal CT scan usually helps to establish the diagnosis at an early stage and thereby facilitating aggressive antimicrobial therapy and percutaneous drainage where indicated. Although, extirpation of infected renal unit was the treatment of choice earlier, with the advent of modern imaging, endourological procedures and broad spectrum antibiotics, majority of such patients can be treated with minimal morbidity and mortality even with salvaging of the renal units. We present here the outcome of management of 20 cases with varied spectrum of emphysematous infection.
Pubertal assessment: targeted educational intervention for pediatric trainees
Authors: Khokhar Aditi , Nagarajan Sairaman , Ravichandran Yagnaram , Perez-Colon Sheila
Published: August 2017

Background

Timely and periodic pubertal assessment in children is vital to identify puberty related disorders. Pediatricians need to have working knowledge of puberty time and tempo. Pediatric residency is an important platform to acquire physical examination skills including pubertal assessment.

Objective

An educational intervention for teaching pubertal assessment was piloted on pediatric residents at our institution.

Methods

The intervention comprised of interactive lecture series, ID badge size Tanner stage cards and Tanner posters placed in residents’ continuity clinics. Pre-intervention, post-intervention and 3 months post-intervention surveys for participating trainees were administered to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. Attitudes, practices, knowledge scores, and barriers to Tanner staging conduct were analyzed.

Results

Forty-three residents participated in the intervention. Knowledge scores of PGY1 (5.95 ± 1.6 vs. 7.47 ± 1.4, p < 0.01) improved right after the intervention, as did self-reported clinical practices of all trainees 3 months post- intervention with regards to conducting external genital examination and performing pubertal assessment. Confidence levels of pediatric trainees in conducting pubertal assessment and comfort levels in assessing the need for endocrine referral based on abnormal Tanner staging improved after the intervention, although the effect was not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Our intervention is a worthwhile technique for teaching pubertal assessment to residents as it is simple to conduct, easily reproducible, provides baseline knowledge needed for recognition of normal pubertal development and puberty related conditions, and instills confidence in residents.
Spanish and Kaqchikel-Maya: A study in town and village in Guatemala’s central highlands
Authors: Holmquist Jonathan , Kahn Hana Muzika
Published: August 2017

This article examines patterns of maintenance and shift affecting Kaqchikel-Maya in contact with Spanish in a municipality of the central highlands of Guatemala. It examines self-reported skills in the use of Spanish and Kaqchikel-Maya as well as directly assessed knowledge of Kaqchikel in relation to ethnicity, generations, and gender in town and village in the municipality. The study draws on fieldwork between 2011 and 2013 in the municipality of Parramos, Chimaltenango. Two researchers in collaboration with native Spanish-and-Kaqchikel-speaking assistants surveyed 280 speakers. Data are based on responses to an orally administered questionnaire that included self-reporting of language skills and direct assessment measures focusing on knowledge of Kaqchikel vocabulary as well as on the ability to respond to conversational questions in Kaqchikel. Results are interpreted in relation to stability vs. instability in the use of the two languages and to the asymmetry of the bilingualism that distinguishes the ethnic communities.
Investigation on Chirping induced performance degradation in Single Mode Directly modulated 1.55um DFB laser
Authors: Yousuf Abida , Najeeb-ud-din Hakim
Published: August 2017

Dynamic characteristics of directly modulated laser are investigated by simulating the single mode laser rate equations, emphasized on the effect of the gain compression for the two laser models: one adiabatic chirp dominated and another with a combination of adiabatic and transient chirp-dominated laser. The influence of laser adiabatic and transient chirp on system performance in normal and anomalous propagation regime is investigated by simulation. It is shown that in the anomalous propagation regime, the presence of fiber nonlinearity can be beneficial, improving the system performance by opening the eye diagram at system output. Contrarily, in the normal propagation regime, presence of high gain compression coefficient (ε > 4 × 10–17 cm3) can strongly degrade the system performance by closing the eye diagram at system output. Finally, it is shown that the laser model with a combination of adiabatic and transient chirp with anomalous dispersion coefficient shows much better result in the saturated regime. This can be used to extend the transmission distance in optical communication.
When one disease is not enough: succinyl-CoA: 3-oxoacid coenzyme A transferase (SCOT) deficiency due to a novel mutation in OXCT1 in an infant with known phenylketonuria
Authors: Schwade Jan-Niclas , Endmann Matthias , Hofmann Thomas , Rust Stephan , Sass Jörn Oliver , Rutsch Frank
Published: August 2017

A 9-month-old Turkish girl was admitted several times within 3 months to the hospital in reduced general condition and with extreme tachypnea. The patient had been diagnosed with phenylketonuria (PKU) in newborn screening and has been treated with a low phenylalanine diet and amino acid supplements. Each time an unexplained pronounced metabolic acidosis was noted, and the child was treated with sodium-bicarbonate and glucose-electrolyte infusions. The acidosis with only slightly abnormal glucose, normal lactate levels and pronounced ketonuria suggested a defect in ketone body utilization. Succinyl-CoA: 3-oxoacid CoA transferase (SCOT) enzyme activity was low in patient’s fibroblasts. Mutation analysis of the corresponding
A Dynamic Formation Procedure of Information Flow Networks
Authors: Gao Hongwei , Qiao Han , Sedakov Artem , Wang Lei
Published: August 2017

A characterization of the equilibrium of information flow networks and the dynamics of network formation are studied under the premise of local information flow. The main result of this paper is that it gives the dynamic formation procedure in the local information flow network. The research shows that core-periphery structure is the most representative equilibrium network in the case of the local information flow without information decay whatever the cost of information is homogeneous or heterogeneous. If the profits and link costs of local information flow networks with information decay are homogeneous empty network and complete network are typical equilibrium networks, which are related to the costs of linking.
A Study on the Optimal Portfolio Strategies Under Inflation
Authors: Yu Mei , Gao Qian , Liu Zijian , Zhou Yike , Ralescu Dan
Published: August 2017

This paper tests the inflation hedging ability of four categories of important financial assets in China: Commodity futures, real estate, gold and industry stock and select the assets that have significant inflation hedging effect. Then the authors construct the mean-variance model under the inflation factor, using the selected assets to construct the inflation hedging portfolio, solving the model and obtain the optimal investment strategy with inflation protection function. The result shows that the portfolio constructed by the model have more stable real returns and its inflation hedging ability can be even better if the short selling restriction of stocks is eliminated.
Dynamics of a Nonlinear Business Cycle Model Under Poisson White Noise Excitation
Authors: Li Jiaorui , Li Shuang
Published: August 2017

Several observations in real economic systems have shown the evidence of non-Gaussianity behavior, and one of mathematical models to describe these behaviors is Poisson noise. In this paper, stationary probability density of a nonlinear business cycle model under Poisson white noise excitation has been studied analytically. By using the stochastic averaged method, the approximate stationary probability density of the averaged generalized FPK equations are obtained analytically. The results show that the economic system occurs jump and bifurcation when there is a Poisson impulse existing in the periodic economic system. Furthermore, the numerical solutions are presented to show the effectiveness of the obtained analytical solutions.
Can Financial Shortages in China’s Education Be Contagious?
Authors: Gu Jiafeng , Shen Tiyan , Zhang Jiadong
Published: August 2017

The full models are estimated by spatial econometric models using county-level data from 1513 Chinese counties. The results indicate the existence of spatial contagion effects among local governments with respect to spending on local education. Financial shortages in education tend to be contagious; they affect counties or regions in geographic proximity. Contagion occurs due to three different fundamental causes: Intergovernmental competition, political economy and neighborhood watch. The possibility of contagion depends strongly on education investment, financial and economic conditions, cultural diversity, urban/rural distribution, and population structure. Poor counties are much more likely to become “infected” by neighboring financial behavior in education. The empirical evidence suggests that the speed of contagion is faster in economically underdeveloped areas than in economically developed areas.
Hyper-Russellian Skepticism
Authors: Torrengo Giuliano
Published: August 2017

The hyper-Russellian skeptic is someone who thinks that only one of all your experiences was, is, and will ever be conscious. Which one? The very one you are having now. Before you were always a zombie, and you will be a zombie for ever after. In the present literature on the metaphysics of passage of time, there is disagreement on whether our feeling that time passes — the “dynamic flavor” of our ordinary experience — provides support to the A-theory, that is, the thesis that the passage of time is an objective feature of reality. Lately, several philosophers have argued against this idea. In this paper I want to push this line of reasoning further by exploiting the hyper-Russellian scenario against the A-theory of time.
Crystal structure of diaqua-catena-poly[diaqua-bis(μ2-5-(4-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)phenyl)tetrazol-2-ido-κ2
N:N′)cobalt(II)] dihydrate, C20H24CoN14O4
Authors: Ling-Yun Xin , Hai-Yan Zhang , Guang-Zhen Liu
Published: August 2017

C20H24CoN14O4, triclinic, P1̅ (no. 2), a = 7.797(2) Å, b = 8.766(3) Å, c = 9.709(3) Å, α = 73.554(7)°, β = 86.460(7)°, γ = 78.537(7)°, V = 623.7(3) Å3, Z = 1, R
gt(F) = 0.0303, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.0752, T = 293(2) K.
Crystal structure of methyl 1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-4-methoxy-5-oxopyrrolidine-3-carboxylate, C14H16FNO4
Authors: Chebbi Hammouda , Guesmi Abderrahmen , Driss Ahmed
Published: August 2017

C14H16FNO4, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 10.189(4) Å, b = 7.742(2) Å, c = 17.240(5) Å, β = 94.50(1)°, V = 1355.8(7) Å3, Z = 4, R
gt(F) = 0.0420, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.1183, T = 295 K.
Once Again, They Have a Word for It: Greeks Talk about Our Global Age
Authors: Epitropoulos Mike-Frank , Markoff John
Published: August 2017

From its beginnings in eighteenth-century revolution through the great global wave of democratizations that began in the 1970s, the term “democracy” has been used in many different ways but always referred to a form of self-rule of a defined people on a defined territory. The very obvious web of transnational interconnection had by the late twentieth century raised important questions about what democracy could mean in the global era. Everyday speech in Greece has for several decades been taking note of this by referring to the President of the United States as the Planetarch, a major figure whom they had no role in selecting. We use interviews from just before the elections of 2008 that brought Barack Obama to office to explore what Greeks mean by this term and conclude by showing that it provides a framework for them to talk about his successor, President Donald Trump, as well.
Thinking Globally: Reassessing the Fields of Law, Politics and Economics in the US Academy
Authors: Darian-Smith Eve
Published: August 2017

In the United States, students of law, politics and economics are primarily trained to think in terms of state-centric analytical frameworks. This essay argues that this training is anachronistic and does not adequately prepare students for the complex geopolitics of the 21st century. Of course, not all scholarship in these disciplines can be characterized in this way since each discipline has its own internal disputes and scholarly innovations. That being said, a mainstream state-centric approach dominates the literature and the curriculum in most law, politics and economics departments. The first part of the essay describes the rise of law schools and the establishing of political science and economics disciplines in the late 19th century. It explores the implications of these disciplines’ claim to do “scientific” research. It argues that this claim continues to bind the disciplines to a state-centric framework which in turn provides obstacles to developing new theories and methods.
Interrupted amperometry: the new possibilities in electrochemical measurements
Authors: Semenova Ekaterina , Navolotskaya Daria , Ermakov Sergey
Published: August 2017

Interrupted amperometry is a new highly sensitive method for diffusion current measuring. The main feature of the proposed technique is the use of capacitive current as the analytical signal together with the faradaic current. The conventional electrical circuit for amperometric measurements is complemented by a switcher that enables periodical interruption of the circuit. The technique was successfully applied for direct amperometric determination of lead, cadmium and iron ions, phenol and hydroquinone; for determination of dichromate ion via titration; for determination of dissolved oxygen in water by Clark-type sensor. In all the mentioned cases the achieved values of analytical characteristics are significantly better than for conventional amperometric methods. There are limitations and perspectives of the proposed technique considered.
Scale-up of high specific activity 186gRe production using graphite-encased thick 186W targets and demonstration of an efficient target recycling process
Authors: Balkin Ethan R. , Gagnon Katherine , Dorman Eric , Emery Robert , Li Yawen , Wooten A. Lake , Smith Bennett E. , Strong Kevin T. , Pauzauskie Peter J. , Fassbender Michael E. , Cutler Cathy S. , Ketring Alan R. , Jurisson Silvia S. , Wilbur D. Scott
Published: August 2017

Production of high specific activity 186gRe is of interest for development of theranostic radiopharmaceuticals. Previous studies have shown that high specific activity 186gRe can be obtained by cyclotron irradiation of enriched 186W via the 186W(d,2n)186gRe reaction, but most irradiations were conducted at low beam currents and for short durations. In this investigation, enriched 186W metal targets were irradiated at high incident deuteron beam currents to demonstrate production rates and contaminants produced when using thick targets. Full-stopping thick targets, as determined using SRIM, were prepared by uniaxial pressing of powdered natural abundance W metal or 96.86% enriched 186W metal encased between two layers of graphite flakes for target material stabilization. An assessment of structural integrity was made on each target preparation. To assess the performance of graphite-encased thick 186W metal targets, along with the impact of encasing on the separation chemistry, targets were first irradiated using a 22 MeV deuteron beam for 10 min at 10, 20, and 27 μA, with an estimated nominal deuteron energy of 18.7 MeV on the 186W target material (after energy degradation correction from top graphite layer). Gamma-ray spectrometry was performed post EOB on all targets to assess production yields and radionuclidic byproducts. The investigation also evaluated a method to recover and recycle enriched target material from a column isolation procedure. Material composition analyses of target materials, pass-through/wash solutions and recycling process isolates were conducted with SEM, FTIR, XRD, EDS and ICP-MS spectrometry. To demonstrate scaled-up production, a graphite-encased 186W target made from recycled 186W was irradiated for ~2 h with 18.7 MeV deuterons at a beam current of 27 μA to provide 0.90 GBq (24.3 mCi) of 186gRe, decay-corrected to the end of bombardment. ICP-MS analysis of the isolated 186gRe solution provided data that indicated the specific activity of 186gRe in this scaled-up production run was 2.6±0.5 GBq/μg (70±10 Ci/mg).
The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on short-interval intracortical inhibition and intracortical facilitation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Biabani Mana , Aminitehrani Maryam , Zoghi Maryam , Farrell Michael , Egan Gary , Jaberzadeh Shapour
Published: August 2017

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is increasingly being used to affect the neurological conditions with deficient intracortical synaptic activities (i.e. Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy). In addition, it is suggested that the lasting effects of tDCS on corticospinal excitability (CSE) have intracortical origin. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine whether tDCS has any effect on intracortical circuits. Eleven electronic databases were searched for the studies investigating intracortical changes induced by anodal (a) and cathodal (c) tDCS, in healthy individuals, using two paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) paradigms: short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF). Additionally, motor-evoked potential (MEP) size alterations, assessed by single-pulse TMS, were extracted from these studies to investigate the probable intracortical origin of tDCS effects on CSE. The methodological quality of included studies was examined using Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and Downs and Black’s (D&B) assessment tools. Thirteen research papers, including 24 experiments, were included in this study scoring good and medium quality in PEDro and D&B scales, respectively. Immediately following anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) applications, we found significant decreases in SICI, but increases in ICF and MEP size. However, ICF and MEP size significantly decreased, and SICI increased immediately following cathodal tDCS (c-tDCS). The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis reveal that a-tDCS changes intracortical activities (SICI and ICF) toward facilitation, whereas c-tDCS alters them toward inhibition. It can also be concluded that increases and decreases in CSE after tDCS application are associated with corresponding changes in intracortical activities. The results suggest that tDCS can be clinically useful to modulate intracortical circuits.
Will Procurement Officials be Biased to Disregard Procurement Rules in Favor of a Low-priced, Albeit Defective, Bid?
Authors: Dekel Omer , Dotan Yoav
Published: August 2017

To what extent are professional decision-makers in the field of public procurement susceptible to cognitive biases? Recent research found a bias in favor of the lower bidder when ranking competing bids (Dekel and Schurr 2014, “Cognitive Biases in Government Procurement – an Experimental Study with Real Bid Evaluators,” 10(2)Review of Law and Economics169–200). In the present research we examine this question regarding another stage of the public procurement process – the qualification stage. To this end, we conducted a series of experiments with the participation of procurement officials in situations that closely resemble their daily work. Our main finding is that even though procurement officials are susceptible to a cognitive bias when they have to score competing bids, they overcome that bias when asked to decide whether to qualify faulty or questionable bids. We cautiously ascribe this difference to the different types of decision-making involved, and suggest further explorations of these insights.
3D printing: Of signs and objects
Authors: Perkins-Buzo John
Published: August 2017

3D printing has surely come of age. Widely available, and integrated into many computer-based design and animation curricula, it almost seems to have become a simple extension of what we already had in 2D printing. A 2D image (e.g., of a pipe) acts as the basis of a sign, which, perhaps upon further twists of the semiotic spiral, may lead one to cognition of a 3D physical pipe. But then, perhaps not. And only in a rare case would the physical pipe in turn find use as a sign of the aforesaid 2D image. With 3D printing, this order of semiosis no longer applies. Since 3D printing mainly occurs as a non-mass-production manufacturing technique, a 3D-printed artifact acts as a physical object – and generally it is printed to act precisely in that manner. It is a being that has an ontic difference from its digital source. The case of 3D printing provides an intriguing, complex, case study for semiosis, since the printables move in and out of the virtual and physical.
Syrische Fragmente des Kommentars Cyrills von Alexandrien zum 1. Korintherbrief
Authors: Zawadzki Konrad F.
Published: August 2017

The present article provides the first complete edition of all extant Syriac extracts from Cyril of Alexandria’s commentary on
Christliche Explikationen in der Gesetzgebung Justinians I.
Authors: Piepenbrink Karen
Published: August 2017

The paper examines the extent and role of Christian explications in Justinian’s imperial legislation – beyond the programmatic formulations in the prologues of the novels which have often been studied. It shows that the significance of Christian arguments in order to justify legal measures is rather limited and unspecific, while traditional arguments which are based on Roman law discourse are still of great importance. These are often neither transformed in a Christian way nor synthesized with Christian ideas. This is true for the whole reign of Justinian and thereby not restricted to the period of Tribonian. Since 541/542 A. D. there is just a gradual but not fundamental change in this respect. Though Justinian focuses very much on a theological foundation of his reign he has to meet the expectations of the members of the senatorial elite which are legally trained and often deeply rooted in Roman memorial culture.
Bourdieu, Weber und Rational Choice: Versuch einer Weiterentwicklung des religiösen Feldmodells am Beispiel Chinas
Authors: Broy Nikolas
Published: August 2017

Der vorliegende Beitrag versucht eine Weiterentwicklung des religiösen Feldmodells des französischen Soziologen Pierre Bourdieu, welches dieser auf der Grundlage der Vorarbeiten Max Webers aufgestellt hat. Am Beispiel der vielseitigen religiösen Landschaft Chinas werde ich zeigen, dass dieses Modell jedoch nur bedingt erklärungsfähig ist, da es (1) die Rolle des Staates und staatlicher Akteure bei der Ausformulierung des religiösen Feldes ausblendet und (2) die von Weber übernommenen vier Akteurstypen bzw. Feldpositionen die Komplexität religiöser Interaktionen in China nicht abbilden können. Ausgehend von dieser Beobachtung werde ich auf die regulative und domestizierende Macht des Staates eingehen und zeigen, dass das religiöse Feld Chinas als Oligopol oder Polypol zu verstehen ist. Des Weiteren werde ich unter Rückgriff auf die chinesische Religionsgeschichte eine detaillierte Differenzierung der Feldpositionen vornehmen und dabei v. a. auf die unterschiedlichen Interessen und Commitments der „Laien“ eingehen.
Superoptimal Perceptual Integration Suggests a Place-Based Representation of Pitch at High Frequencies
Authors: Lau Bonnie K. , Mehta Anahita H. , Oxenham Andrew J.
Published: August 2017

Pitch, the perceptual correlate of sound repetition rate or frequency, plays an important role in speech perception, music perception, and listening in complex acoustic environments. Despite the perceptual importance of pitch, the neural mechanisms that underlie it remain poorly understood. Although cortical regions responsive to pitch have been identified, little is known about how pitch information is extracted from the inner ear itself. The two primary theories of peripheral pitch coding involve stimulus-driven spike timing, or phase locking, in the auditory nerve (time code), and the spatial distribution of responses along the length of the cochlear partition (place code). To rule out the use of timing information, we tested pitch discrimination of very high-frequency tones (>8 kHz), well beyond the putative limit of phase locking. We found that high-frequency pure-tone discrimination was poor, but when the tones were combined into a harmonic complex, a dramatic improvement in discrimination ability was observed that exceeded performance predicted by the optimal integration of peripheral information from each of the component frequencies. The results are consistent with the existence of pitch-sensitive neurons that rely only on place-based information from multiple harmonically related components. The results also provide evidence against the common assumption that poor high-frequency pure-tone pitch perception is the result of peripheral neural-coding constraints. The finding that place-based spectral coding is sufficient to elicit complex pitch at high frequencies has important implications for the design of future neural prostheses to restore hearing to deaf individuals.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe question of how pitch is represented in the ear has been debated for over a century. Two competing theories involve timing information from neural spikes in the auditory nerve (time code) and the spatial distribution of neural activity along the length of the cochlear partition (place code). By using very high-frequency tones unlikely to be coded via time information, we discovered that information from the individual harmonics is combined so efficiently that performance exceeds theoretical predictions based on the optimal integration of information from each harmonic. The findings have important implications for the design of auditory prostheses because they suggest that enhanced spatial resolution alone may be sufficient to restore pitch via such implants.
Adrenal Cushing’s syndrome during pregnancy
Authors: Andreescu C E , Alwani R A , Hofland J , Looijenga L H J , de Herder W W , Hofland L J , Feelders R A
Published: August 2017

Cushing syndrome (CS) during pregnancy is a rare condition with only a few cases reported in the literature. Misdiagnosis of CS is common because of overlapping features like fatigue, weight gain, striae and emotional changes that can occur during normal pregnancy. Changes in maternal hormones and their binding proteins complicate assessment of glucocorticoid hormone levels during gestation. CS during pregnancy is most frequently due to an adrenal adenoma and to a lesser degree to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) hypersecretion by a pituitary adenoma. Furthermore, aberrant expression of luteinizing hormone (LH) receptors in the adrenal cortex has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of adrenal CS during pregnancy. We report three pregnant women with ACTH-independent Cushing’s syndrome and an adrenal tumor. After uncomplicated delivery, patient 1 underwentin vivotesting for aberrant hormone receptor expression by the adenoma. Cortisol responses were found after administration of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), glucagon, vasopressin and a standard mixed meal. All patients were treated with laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Adrenal tumor tissue of two patients showed positive immunohistochemical staining of LH receptors. Considering the cortisol responses to LHRH and hCG, and the development of CS during pregnancy in these patients, it is likely that ACTH-independent hypercortisolism was induced by the pregnancy-associated rise in hCG levels that activated aberrantly expressed LH receptors in the adrenal adenoma. Remarkably, adrenal adenomas may simultaneously express multiple aberrant receptors and individual ligands may play a role in the regulation of cortisol production in CS during pregnancy.
The Other Side of Ecology: thinking about the human bias in our ecological analyses for biodiversity conservation
Authors: Lopes Sergio de Faria
Published: August 2017

Ecology as a science emerged within a classic Cartesian positivist context, in which relationships should be understood by the division of knowledge and its subsequent generalization. Over­time, ecology has addressed many questions, from the processes that lead to the origin and maintenance of life to modern theories of trophic webs and non­ equilibrium. However, the ecological models and ecosystem theories used in the field of ecology have had difficulty integrating man into analysis, although humans have emerged as a global force that is transforming the entirety of planet. In this sense, currently, advances in the field of the ecology that develop outside of research centers is under the spotlight for social, political, economic and environmental goals, mainly due the environmental crisis resulting from overexploitation of natural resources and habitat fragmentation. Herein a brief historical review of ecology as science and humankind’s relationship with nature is presented, with the objective of assessing the impartiality and neutrality of scientific research and new possibilities of understanding and consolidating knowledge, specifically local ecological knowledge. Moreover, and in a contemporary way, the human being presence in environmental relationships, both as a study object, as well as an observer, proposer of interpretation routes and discussion, requires new possibilities. Among these proposals, the human bias in studies of the biodiversity conservation emerges as the other side of ecology, integrating scientific knowledge with local ecological knowledge and converging with the idea of complexity in the relationships of humans with the environment.
Relationship between biomarkers of muscle damage and redox status in response to a weightlifting training session: effect of time-of-day
Authors: Ammar A , Chtourou H , Hammouda O , Turki M , Ayedi F , Kallel C , AbdelKarim O , Hoekelmann A , Souissi N
Published: August 2017

The aims of the present study were to: (1) investigate the effect of a weightlifting training session and time-of-day (TOD) upon biological parameters (i.e., oral temperature, hematological, C-reactive protein (CRP), and oxidative stress) and (2) assess their possible link with muscle damage responses. Nine weightlifters (21 ± 0.5 years) performed, in a randomized order, three Olympic-Weightlifting sessions (i.e., at 08:00, 14:00, and 18:00). Blood samples were collected at rest, 3 min and 48 h after each training session. Between pre- and post-training session, ANOVA showed significant increases in oxidative stress markers at the three TODs (p < 0.01) and significant increases for creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) only at 08:00 and 18:00 (p < 0.05). At rest, the results showed a significant diurnal variation for the majority of the selected parameters except for malondialdehyde (MDA), total bilirubin, and CRP with higher values observed at 18:00 (p < 0.05). After the training session, given the higher rate of increase during the morning session, these diurnal variations persisted for temperature and WBC (p < 0.01) and were suppressed for CK, LDH, uric acid (UA), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. The main significant correlations (p < 0.001) were observed between: (1) CK and MDA (r = 0.6) and CK and UA (r = 0.66 and r = 0.82) during the morning and evening training sessions; (2) CK and CRP only during the morning session (r = 0.5); and (3) CRP and WBC during the three training sessions (r = 0.8). In conclusion, the present findings: (1) confirm that the muscle damage responses could be induced by a high level of oxidative stress and (2) suggest to avoid scheduling training sessions in the morning given the higher muscle damage, inflammatory, and oxidative responses at this TOD.
Prediction of lactate threshold using the modified Conconi test in distance runners
Authors: Kjertakov M , Dalip M , Hristovski R , Epstein Y
Published: August 2017

This study aimed to examine the validity of the modified Conconi test (CT) to predict lactate threshold (LT) during running. Twelve distance runners randomly performed the modified CT and the incremental test in which LT was determined directly by measuring blood lactate (BLa). Mean values of heart rate (HR) and running speed (RS) at heart rate deflection point (HRDP) obtained through the modified CT were compared with those at LT. Subsequently, the runners who showed a HRDP in the modified CT performed a 30-min prolonged exercise test (PET) at a RS corresponding to HRDP. During this test, the kinetics of BLa and HR were analyzed to determine whether a steady state in these variables could be attained. We succeeded in identifying HRDP in nine of our runners, whereas the remaining three runners showed entirely linear HR response. In those nine runners, no significant difference was found between HR and RS at HRDP and those at LT. Significant correlation was found between HR at HRDP and HR at LT (r = 0.84, p = 0.005), but RS at HRDP was not significantly correlated with RS at LT (r = 0.63, p = 0.07). All nine runners were able to complete the PET with steady state conditions being achieved for both BLa and HR. In conclusion, these findings indicate that the modified CT has a potential to be used as an alternative method for assessment of LT in distance runners presenting a HRDP.
Implementation of Strategic Management Based on Finger Print Technology for Improving the Teachers Work Ethics
Authors: Muslimin Erwin
Published: August 2017

This article discusses strategic management at the school for educators. Strategic management of the school for educators is to support the development and construction of an educational institution for excellence and quality. If in the modern era which are all based on technology, computers, applications and the Internet, it is very unfortunate if there is an educational institution that still apply strategic management within the school administrative data processing by hand. It will not be effective and will take a very long time. With the application of finger print-based strategic management to monitor it all, it will facilitate an educational institution in managing data administration required, especially to see the work ethic of an educator as seen from the attendance list presence. This study aims to determine the extent to which management implementations finger print-based strategies to improve work ethics of teachers in the State Madrasah Aliyah (MAN) 1 Bandung. The research was conducted by interview or observation related technologies, applications, and data administration for educators in the State Madrasah Aliyah (MAN) 1 Bandung. With the finger print-based strategic management, it will be easier for the school to monitor and assess the work ethic of existing educators in the school.