bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wittgenstein on “I believe”
Authors: Freitag Wolfgang
Published: March 2017

This paper deals with an apparent tension in Wittgenstein’sPhilosophical Investigations: Wittgenstein holds an expressivist position with regard to avowals, but also claims that thedoxasticavowal “I believe that p” is a “hesitant assertion” of p. It is argued that the tension is apparent only and that Wittgenstein’s expressivism in fact justifies and explains his views on “I believe”: avowals typically areexplicit expressivesand usually implicate (in the Gricean sense) the corresponding illocutionary acts. The hesitant assertion of p is the result of an implicature of the explicit expressive “I believe that p”. The paper also addresses the ambiguity of avowals and the possibility of thereby undermining the Frege–Geach objection to psychological expressivism.
The Gagauz Republic: An Autonomism-Driven De Facto State
Authors: Kosienkowski Marcin
Published: March 2017

The post-Soviet area is a home for a several de facto states, which are entities that resemble “normal” states but lack international recognition. This paper examines a historical case study of the Gagauz Republic (Gagauzia), a de facto state that existed on the territory of Soviet and then independent Moldova between 1990 and 1995. Whilst the prevailing view in the literature on de facto states is that these entities strive for internationally recognised independence, this study draws on a new suite of sources (including interviews, memoirs and journalism) to argue that the Gagauz Republic’s leaders did not pursue the goal of independence. Instead, they sought autonomism, pursuing a measure of self-governance within Gagauzia’s two subsequent parent states, namely the Soviet Union and then independent Moldova.
Do Foreigners Count? Internationalization of Presidential Campaigns
Authors: Sevin Efe , Uzunoğlu Sarphan
Published: March 2017

The U.S. presidential elections always attract the attention of foreign audiences—who, despite not being able to vote, choose to follow the campaigns closely. For a post that is colloquially dubbed as the “Leader of the Free World,” it is not unexpected to see such an interest coming from nonvoters. Mimicking almost hosting a megaevent, the elections increase the media coverage on the United States, thus making the elections a platform to communicate with the rest of the world and to influence the reputation of the country, or its nation brand. This study postulates that the increasing adoption of social media by campaigns as well as ordinary users, increase the symbolic importance of presidential elections for foreign audiences in two ways. First, foreign audiences no longer passively follow the campaign but rather present their input to sway the American public opinion through social media campaigns. Second, foreign audiences are exposed to a variety of messages ranging from official campaigns to late-night comedy shows to local grassroots movements. The audiences both enjoy a more in-depth understanding of the elections campaigns and are exposed to alternative political views. In this study, the 2016 U.S. presidential elections are positioned as a megaevent that can influence the American nation brand. Through a comparative content and network analyses of messages disseminated over social media in the United Kingdom, Turkey, Canada, and Venezuela, the nation branding–related impacts of election campaigns are investigated.
Histopathologic Changes of Human Vestibular Epithelia in Intralabyrinthine Hemorrhage
Authors: Kaya Serdar , Paparella Michael M. , Cureoglu Sebahattin
Published: March 2017

Objective:

To determine whether intralabyrinthine hemorrhage affects vestibular hair cells, dark cells, and transitional cells in human temporal bones.

Methods:

We examined 9 temporal bone specimens from 9 deceased donors with unilateral intralabyrinthine hemorrhage (the hemorrhage group) along with their 9 contralateral temporal bone specimens without hemorrhage (the control group). We estimated the density of type I and type II hair cells in all peripheral sensorial organs (including the cristae of the superior, lateral, and posterior semicircular canals, as well as the maculae of the saccule and utricle). We also estimated the density of dark and transitional cells in the lateral and posterior semicircular canals.

Results:

The loss of type I hair cells in the cristae of the superior, lateral, and posterior semicircular canals and in the maculae of the saccule and utricle was significantly higher in the hemorrhage group, as compared with the control group ( P < .05). The density of type II hair cells in the cristae of the superior and posterior canals and in the macula of the saccule significantly differed between the hemorrhage group and the control group ( P < .05).

Conclusion:

The loss of vestibular hair cells might be the cause of vestibular symptoms in patients with intralabyrinthine hemorrhage.
A Comparison of the Use of Antidepressant Treatment Between Non-Hispanic Black and White and Mexican American Adults With Type 2 Diabetes in the United States
Authors: Perez Alexandra , Cabrera Pierina , Gutierrez Carolina , Valdes Jose
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine antidepressant use among Mexican Americans (MA) and non-Hispanic (NH) blacks and whites with type 2 diabetes and depressive symptoms.

Methods

A secondary data analysis based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2012 cohort data included 560 noninstitutionalized civilian MA, NH black, and NH white adults with type 2 diabetes and depressive symptoms. Unadjusted and adjusted 2-way ANOVA models evaluated whether there was a difference in the use of antidepressants by depressive symptom level across race/ethnic group.

Results

Whites were more likely than blacks and MA to be on antidepressant treatment (whites: 41.7%, blacks: 27.1%, MA: 24.2%) and on serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) (whites: 8.1%, blacks: 2.9%, MA: 2.4%). However, there was no difference in the use of other drug classes or antidepressant use by depressive symptom level across racial/ethnic group. Followed by tricyclic antidepressants (TCA), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) were the most commonly used drug class overall. Approximately 30% of subjects were on antidepressants and among those, 80% were on one antidepressant, all others on 2 or more.

Conclusions

Racial/ethnic differences were observed in the use of antidepressant treatment but not when depressive symptom levels were incorporated in the analyses. Further studies on the effectiveness of different antidepressants in diabetes outcomes minorities are needed.
The Complexities of “Struggling to Live Life”
Authors: Abdoli Samereh , Hardy Lynda R. , Hall Joanne
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to explore and describe perceptions and experiences of young adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) living in Appalachia, Tennessee.

Methods

Qualitative descriptive analysis of in-depth interviews of 9 young adults (male = 3, female = 6) 18 to 30 years of age living in Appalachian counties in Tennessee provided the basis of identifying the salient concerns from the perspective of this diverse group related to living daily with T1DM. Data analysis was facilitated by using NVivo 11 Pro and consisted of iterative review of the accounts in 3 phases: immersion, reduction, and interpretation.

Results

Findings revealed that young Appalachian adults had some common, consistent experiences living with T1DM. Major themes included the struggle toward adulthood, the daily struggle of living with diabetes, the strong desire to live life, the supportive environment, the development of one’s identity by diabetes, the disruptiveness of diabetes’ demands, and the pros and cons of technological development in diabetes management.

Conclusion

Health vulnerabilities are multiplied for young adults living with T1DM in Appalachian Tennessee. Participants pointed to living in communities with social stigma, lack of T1DM knowledge, and lack of access to health care that compares with the quality of care they experienced when in pediatric care. They also expressed fear about pregnancy, diabetes complications, and the dangers of hypoglycemia. Individual and community-based empowerment programs focusing on T1DM accompanied by insurance reimbursement and T1DM policy reinforcement are necessary to reduce health disparities and improve quality of life in this underserved population of young adults in Appalachia.
Music education promotes lifelong engagement with the arts
Authors: Elpus Kenneth
Published: March 2017

The purpose of this study was to understand the effects of school-based music education on later adult engagement with the arts using nationally representative data from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts 2012 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. The probability of adult arts engagement as performer/creator and patron/consumer was estimated as functions of prior school-based music and arts education participation with statistical covariate control applied for demographic variables known to vary with music education status. Results suggest that both music performance and music appreciation courses are strongly associated with later arts participation as patron/consumer and performer/creator, even after controlling for socioeconomic status, sex, and race/ethnicity. Former music appreciation students were 93% more likely to attend classical music or opera performances as adults and 255% more likely to play a musical instrument as adults than were non-participants. Former music performance students were 342% more likely to play a musical instrument, 258% more likely to sing, and 186% more likely to take photographs as an artistic endeavor than were non-participants. Results of this study suggest that lifelong engagement with music and the arts is one measurable outcome of school-based music education in the United States.
Hunting for valuables from landfills and assessing their market opportunities A case study with Kudjape landfill in Estonia
Authors: Bhatnagar Amit , Kaczala Fabio , Burlakovs Juris , Kriipsalu Mait , Hogland Marika , Hogland William
Published: March 2017

Landfill mining is an alternative technology that merges the ideas of material recycling and sustainable waste management. This paper reports a case study to estimate the value of landfilled materials and their respective market opportunities, based on a full-scale landfill mining project in Estonia. During the project, a dump site (Kudjape, Estonia) was excavated with the main objectives of extracting soil-like final cover material with the function of methane degradation. In total, about 57,777 m3 of waste was processed, particularly the uppermost 10-year layer of waste. Manual sorting was performed in four test pits to determine the detailed composition of wastes. 11,610 kg of waste was screened on site, resulting in fine (<40 mm) and coarse (>40 mm) fractions with the share of 54% and 46%, respectively. Some portion of the fine fraction was sieved further to obtain a very fine grained fraction of <10 mm and analyzed for its potential for metals recovery. The average chemical composition of the <10 mm soil-like fraction suggests that it offers opportunities for metal (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) extraction and recovery. The findings from this study highlight the importance of implementing best available site-specific technologies for on-site separation up to 10 mm grain size, and the importance of developing and implementing innovative extraction methods for materials recovery from soil-like fractions.
Minding the Time: A Critical Look at Longitudinal Design and Data Analysis in Quantitative Public Management Research
Authors: Stritch Justin M.
Published: March 2017

Public management scholars are looking to longitudinal research designs and data to help overcome the many limitations associated with cross-sectional research. However, far less attention has been given to time itself as a research lens for scholars to consider. This article seeks to integrate time as a construct of theoretical importance into a discussion of longitudinal design, data, and public management research. First, I discuss the relative advantages of longitudinal design and data, but also the challenges, limitations, and issues researchers need to consider. Second, I consider the importance of time as a theoretical construct of interest in the pursuit of longitudinal public management research. Third, I offer a brief look at the use of longitudinal design and panel data analyses in the current public management literature. The overview demonstrates a notable absence of public management research considering the attitudes, motives, perceptions, and experiences of individual public employees and managers. Finally, I consider why there are so few longitudinal studies of public employees and point out the issues public management researchers interested in individual employee-level phenomena need to consider when advancing their own longitudinal research designs.
Getting the Words Right: When Wording of Job Ads Affects Ethnic Minorities’ Application Decisions
Authors: Wille Lien , Derous Eva
Published: March 2017

Targeted recruitment strategies aim to communicate job vacancies to specific groups of job seekers that organizations wish to attract, such as qualified ethnic minorities. Typically, these strategies do not consider how person requirements are communicated in job advertisements and how job seekers from different ethnic groups react to such requirements. Two field experiments among actual job seekers investigated whether the type of required trait and the wording of traits affected ethnic minorities’ job attraction (Study 1, N = 140) and qualified ethnic minorities’ and majorities’ decision to apply (Study 2, N = 130). Findings show that ethnic minority job seekers were less attracted to job ads targeting a trait they have negative meta-stereotypes about. Wording of traits did not moderate this effect. However, ethnic minority job seekers who were qualified for a negatively meta-stereotyped trait decided not to apply when that trait was worded in a dispositional (vs. a behavioral) way.
“Robots Vs Animals”
Authors: Fogg-Rogers Laura , Sardo Margarida , Boushel Corra
Published: March 2017

A widespread culture supporting public engagement activities in higher education is desirable but difficult to establish. Drawing on social cognitive theory, this science communication project aimed to enhance culture change in engineering by developing communication skillsets of early-career engineers, particularly supporting female engineers as role models. Engineers received training in storytelling to present at live events, enhanced by peer group social persuasion and vicarious modeling. A science communication coordinator and senior management endorsement removed barriers to participation. Evaluation showed engineers’ self-efficacy levels significantly increased. Qualitative data highlighted a developing culture of engagement but purposive selection of women proved controversial.
Online news creation, trust in the media, and political participation: Direct and moderating effects over time
Authors: Ardèvol-Abreu Alberto , Hooker Catherine M , Gil de Zúñiga Homero
Published: March 2017

This article explores the role of trust in professional and alternative media as (a) antecedents of citizen news production, and (b) moderators of the effect of citizen news production on political participation. Using two-wave panel survey data collected in the United States between December 2013 and March 2014, results show that trust in citizen media predicts people’s tendency to create news. In turn, citizen news production is a positive predictor of both offline and online participation. More importantly, trust in the media moderates the effect of citizen news production over online political participation. Overall, this article highlights the importance of trust in the media with respect to citizen news production and how it matters for democracy. Thus, this study casts a much-needed light on how media trust and citizen journalism intertwine in explaining a more engaged and participatory citizenry.
Practice and symbolic power in Bourdieu: The view from Berkeley
Authors: Wacquant Loïc , Akçaoğlu Aksu
Published: March 2017

In 2014–2015, Aksu Akçaoğlu was a visiting scholar in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he had come to work with Loïc Wacquant on his research on “the conservative habitus” in contemporary Turkey (with the support of the TÜBİTAK Science Program). In this dialogue, he invites Wacquant to explicate the philosophy and pedagogy of his celebrated Berkeley seminar on Pierre Bourdieu. This provides an opportunity to revisit key conceptual nodes in Bourdieu’s work, to spotlight its anti-theoreticist cast as well as the influences of Bachelard and Cassirer; to clarify the relationships between social space, field, and symbolic power; and to warn against the seductions of “speaking Bourdieuese.”
Marx’s intertwining of race and class during the Civil War in the United States
Authors: Anderson Kevin B
Published: March 2017

Marx wrote extensively on race and class in the American Civil War. These writings, developed during the time he founded the First International and was completing Capital, argue that capitalism was grounded in slavery and that racism attenuated class-consciousness among workers from dominant racial groups. At the same time, the Civil War unleashed new forms of democratic and revolutionary consciousness and action, in which Black slaves seeking freedom, Black and White northern soldiers, British workers, and abolitionist and socialist intellectuals expressed solidarity with each other across racial and national lines. The Civil War had revolutionary implications, not only in terms of bodily and political freedom for four million human beings but also in terms of large-scale economic changes that uprooted a centuries-old agrarian system and that posed – in the end unsuccessfully – the question of radical land reform on behalf of the former slaves. These Marx writings, which have been discussed only sporadically over the past century, are especially timely today.
Making Marx Marx
Authors: Carver Terrell
Published: March 2017

The context through which readers have come to know Marx as ‘Marx’ was not discovered. It was constructed by Marx in the first instance, and by others during his lifetime and afterwards. What he told us about himself at different stages of his life has been assimilated in various ways to reinforce what more-or-less authorised biographers think we should know about his ‘life and thought’. These accounts are based on what bibliographers present as his ‘collected works’, graded by significance. Intellectual biographies are couched in a genre that is neither the contingent everyday (since readers are presented with a life story that has ended) nor the publicity-minded autobiographical (as Marx’s self-characterisations certainly were). Marx himself posted a public notice in 1847, putting a project in self-publicity underway. His own autobiographical and auto-bibliographical Preface of 1859, and Engels’ summarising review of Marx’s book of the same year, both had somewhat wider contemporary audiences. In recounting his activities and works, Marx’s inclusions and emphases are quite different from twentieth- and twenty-first-century canons. A Collected Essays project for Marx was mooted by himself in the early 1850s, but the plan was to recirculate only those items which would raise issues that were still politically current. In 1872, a number of German socialists consciously embarked on a political process of constructing Marx and Engels as iconic founding fathers. Their mass recirculation of The Communist Manifesto sparked an enormous number of reprints and translations. This highly readable text made Marx ‘great’. After his death in 1883, the situation changed dramatically. Engels’ republication of Marx’s works with new introductions and prefaces, along with Engels’ own works, promoted Engels’ projects and ideas as following directly from, and intentionally supplementary to, Marx’s ‘thought’. Franz Mehring’s 1902 catalogue listing of the Marx–Engels archival legacy laid the basis for the first biography of Marx, making him a man of ‘great works’. After a false start in 1911–1913, a collected works project was undertaken in the early 1920s by D.B. Riazanov, resulting in 11 volumes of the Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe, discontinued at the outset of World War II. The revivified Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe project of the 1970s to date differs somewhat from Riazanov’s plan and methodology, but the overall outlines are self-consciously similar: works (including some manuscript and discarded ‘works’), ‘economic’ works, correspondence, notebooks and marginalia. These editorial presumptions make Marx and Engels ‘major’ and their interlocutors ‘minor’ and create hierarchies of genre and content. Uniform typographical presentation makes all writings look the same on the page or screen, and with indexing it becomes easy to read Marx as a ‘thinker’ delivering items of ‘thought’. Thus, editorial practices have worked to mystify the ‘everyday Marx’ and to erase vital and productive ways to think about politics, activism and struggle.
Analysis and characterization of a marine turbocharger’s unstable performance
Authors: Vrettakos Nikolaos Alexandros
Published: March 2017

In this article, the results of an extended set of experiments on a turbocharged four-stroke marine diesel engine are presented. By modifying the engine’s intake manifold and injecting compressed air into it, it was possible to raise the pressure downstream of the turbocharger’s compressor and force it into unstable operation. Tests were performed through the entire operating envelope of the engine. Depending on the operating mode of the engine (steady state, transient) and the operating load, it was possible to identify different forms of compressor instability. The equipment used enabled the creation of detailed profiles of engine and turbocharger performance. By applying time- and frequency-domain analysis tools, the measurements were utilized to characterize the extent and form of instability taking place at each operating point of the engine. The results and correlations made along with remarks on the instrumentation used during the experiments can be used to provide quantitative input for surge control–oriented models and the development of control systems for surge avoidance and mitigation. Moreover, they will be used as experimental reference for the validation of a surge model-engine simulation code combination.
Understanding Determinants of Cardiovascular Health in a Mexican American Community
Authors: Larimer Karen A. , Gulanick Meg , Penckofer Sue
Published: March 2017

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Hispanic Americans. Social and physical determinants of health unique to this community must be understood before interventions can be designed and implemented. This article describes a CVD risk assessment conducted in a primarily Mexican American community, using Healthy People 2020 as a model. Social (language, culture, awareness of CVD, and socio-economic status) and physical (presence and use of recreation areas, presence of grocery stores, public transportation, and environmental pollution) determinants of health as well as access to health services were assessed. Fifteen community leaders were interviewed using guided interviews. Database searches and direct observations were conducted. Using these methods provided comprehensive assessment of social and physical determinants of health, and access issues that were unique to the community studied. Findings demonstrated greater awareness of diabetes than CVD as a health problem, with little knowledge of CVD risk factors. Lack of access to health services (lack of insurance, lack of a medical home) and presence of cultural and socioeconomic barriers such as language, unemployment, low income, and lack of insurance were identified. The physical determinants such as environment presented fewer barriers, with adequate access to fruits and vegetables, transportation, and parks. Results revealed target areas for intervention.
Corporate Culture as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Ethical Leadership and Personal Internet Use
Authors: Zoghbi-Manrique-de-Lara Pablo , Viera-Armas Mercedes
Published: March 2017

Despite the large number of factors at work that have been linked to personal Internet use (PIU), ethical leadership has not yet been examined. The first aim of this study is to test whether ethical leadership is associated with employees’ participation in PIU, specifically with cyberloafing and e-citizenship. The article then proposes an explanation for this linkage. The prediction is made that ethical leadership influences the way followers perceive corporate culture, which, in turn, leads them to PIU. Questionnaire data from 300 employees at 100 investment banks in the City of London on ethical leadership, Cameron and Quinn’s corporate cultures, cyberloafing, and e-citizenship were analyzed. Results found a significant negative relationship between ethical leadership and cyberloafing, and a positive relationship with e-citizenship. Once corporate culture was entered into the model as a mediator, ethical leadership also showed significant links with corporate culture, which, in turn, acted as a significant mediator. All the culture types performed as partial mediators in ethical leadership’s association with cybercivism, and only adhocracy culture performed as a full mediator in the case of cyberloafing. A practical implication is that managers should pay explicit attention to the advantages of supervising PIU with ethical values and, especially in the case of cyberloafing, with the innovative values of adhocracy culture.
Hazard/threat identification: Using functional resonance analysis method in conjunction with the Anticipatory Failure Determination method
Authors: Jensen Anders , Aven Terje
Published: March 2017

An essential part of risk management is to identify possible harmful events. A number of approaches have been suggested for this purpose, including the Anticipatory Failure Determination method. The fundamental idea of Anticipatory Failure Determination is that revealing harmful events is fundamentally a creative act, and, instead of searching for possible harmful events; the strategy is rather to invent them using different kinds of creativity methods. This article addresses hazard/threat identification for complex systems, that is, systems which do not allow for accurate prediction models of the system based on knowing the specific functions and states of its individual components. Hazard/threat identification for such systems is challenging, as traditional cause and effect relationships and linear reasoning do not work. However, models and frameworks exist for analyzing such systems, the functional resonance analysis method being perhaps the most established approach. The purpose of this article is to present a new hazard/threat identification method combining Anticipatory Failure Determination and functional resonance analysis method. The method allows for using creative methods to invent potential hazards and threats in complex systems. We illustrate the method with an example.
Planning for sedentary behaviour interventions: office workers’ survey and focus group responses
Authors: McGuckin Teneale , Sealey Rebecca , Barnett Fiona
Published: March 2017

Aims:

As sedentary behaviour is becoming more prominent in office-based work environments, this study aimed to explore office workers’ perceptions of sedentary behaviour, explore potential behavioural strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour in the workplace and identify barriers which may hamper behaviour change.

Methods:

A total of 140 office workers were recruited and surveyed from the same workplace. The survey included questions regarding perceptions of the relationship between sitting time and health. Following the survey, 12 employees also participated in focus groups to identify potential sedentary behaviour intervention strategies and barriers. The responses from the survey and focus groups were thematically analysed.

Results:

In total, 88% of all participants surveyed agreed that there was a relationship between sitting time and their health. The most prominent theme identified was musculoskeletal complaints followed by general health and weight gain or obesity. The focus groups identified that interventions targeting reducing sitting time should include education, supportive and knowledgeable managers, and a variety of behaviour change strategies to address individual preferences and barriers.

Conclusion:

Multiple behavioural strategies were identified, which appear to be appropriate for sedentary behaviour change.
Workplace Violence Against Nurses
Authors: Boafo Isaac Mensah , Hancock Peter
Published: March 2017

The aim of this study was to document the incidence, sources, and effects of workplace physical violence against Ghanaian nurses. Self-report questionnaires were completed by 592 nurses employed in public general hospitals in Ghana. Participants were selected using a combination of purposive and random sampling techniques. Nine percent of the participants experienced physical violence in the 12 months preceding the study. The majority of perpetrators were relatives of patients. Chi-square tests suggested significant relationships between type of hospital and workplace physical violence, and between intention to quit the nursing profession and workplace physical violence. Workplace violence had several negative effects on nurses including having disturbing memories about the incident and being “super alert” and vigilant. Strategies to curb workplace violence could include awareness creation among health care workers and the general public. Policies and legislations must also be put in place to address this social problem.
The Tax Exclusion for Employer-Sponsored Insurance Is Not Regressive—But What Is It?
Authors: White Joseph
Published: March 2017

Conventional wisdom says that the tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) is “regressive and therefore unfair.” Yet, by the standard definition of regressive tax policy, the conventional view is almost certainly false. It confuses the absolute size of the tax exclusion with its proportional effect on income. The error results from paying attention only to the marginal tax rate applied to ESI benefits as a portion of income and ignoring the fact that benefits are normally a much larger share of income for people with lower wages. This article explains the difference and then considers other distributional effects of ESI. It suggests that ESI—for those who receive it—further redistributes toward those with lesser means or greater need. The most evident effect is by need, favoring employees with families over those without. Yet there is good reason to believe there is also a redistribution by income, with the package of wages plus benefits being less unequal than wages alone would be. Therefore reformers should be much more careful before criticizing either ESI or its subsidy through the tax code as “unfair,” especially as the likelihood of enacting something better in the United States seems quite low.
Extreme polarization sensitivity in the retina of the corn borer moth Ostrinia
Authors: Belušič Gregor , Šporar Katja , Meglič Andrej
Published: March 2017

The visual system of the European corn borer (ECB, Ostrinia nubilalis) was analysed with microscopy and electrophysiological methods (ERG, single cell recordings). The ECB has a pair of mainly ultraviolet-sensitive ocelli and a pair of compound eyes, maximally sensitive to green light. The ommatidia contain a tiered, fused rhabdom, consisting of the rhabdomeres of 9-12 photoreceptor cells with sensitivity peak wavelengths at 356, 413, 480, and 530 nm. The photoreceptors in a large dorsal rim area have straight rhabdomeres and high polarization sensitivity (PS1,2=3.4, 14). Elsewhere, in the main retina, the majority of photoreceptors have non-aligned microvilli and negligible PS, but each ommatidium contains one or two blue-sensitive distal photoreceptors with straight microvilli parallel to the dorsoventral axis, yielding extremely high PS (PS1,2,3=56, 63, 316). Rhabdoms containing distal cells with potentially high PS have evolved at least two times, in moths (Crambidae, Noctuidae, Saturniidae) as well as in dung beetles (Scarabaeidae). The distal photoreceptors with high PS, sensitive to vertically polarized light, represent a monopolatic system which is unsuitable for the proper analysis of e-vector orientation. Anyhow, the distal photoreceptors might be used in conjunction with polarization-insensitive photoreceptors to detect objects that reflect polarized light with stereotyped orientation.
Prognostic Value of Coronary Artery Calcium Score for Determination of Presence and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Moradi Maryam , Nouri Shadi , Nourozi Ali , Golbidi Danial
Published: March 2017

Background: There are controversies regarding the usefulness of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) for predicting coronary artery stenosis. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of CACS for determining the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with sign and symptoms of the disease.

Material/Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 748 consecutive patients with suspected CAD, referred for coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), were enrolled. The mean CACS was compared between patients with different severities of coronary artery stenosis. The association between CACS and different CAD risk factors was determined as well. Different cutoff points of CACS for discriminating between different levels of coronary artery stenosis was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results: The mean CACS was significantly different between different levels of coronary artery stenosis (P<0.001) and there was a significant positive association between the severity of CAD and CACS (P<0.001,r=0.781). ROC curve analysis indicated that the optimal cutoff point for discriminating between CAD (presence of stenosis) and the non-stenosis condition was 5.35 with 88.6% sensitivity and 86.2% specificity. Area under the curve for different levels of coronary artery stenosis did not have sufficient sensitivity and specificity for discriminating between different levels of CAD severity (<70%).

Conclusions: The study demonstrated that there is a significant association between CACS and the presence as well as the severity of CAD. CACS could have an appropriate prognostic value for the determination of coronary artery stenosis but not for discriminating between different severities of stenoses.
RAID: A model of psychiatric liaison in general hospitals
Authors: Pattinson Joanne , McCrae Niall
Published: March 2017

This article discusses the implementation of the Rapid Assessment, Interface and Discharge (RAID) model of psychiatric liaison and its potential for acute hospitals
Reinforced therapeutic alliance: The way forward in nursing practice
Authors: Bifarin Oladayo O
Published: March 2017

Self-awareness and mentalisation are salient ideas that play a vital role in therapeutic alliance. However, due to the subjectivity of these elements, there is a need to conceptualise therapeutic alliance so as to awaken innovation in mental health nursing and empower service users to have positive and sustainable service users outcome. Category analysis and transaction analysis have been adopted by the author to pinpoint the need to boost student and mental health nurses' awareness to reduce compassion fatigue, as well as the rate of relapse rate in service users. In recent times, there has been intense pressure mounted on the mental health service in England particularly associated with lack of resources coupled with a rapid change in societal engineering especially with regards to availability of drugs and alcohol. Hence, it becomes imperative for nurses who are at the heart of the healthcare provision to innovate and embrace change to safeguard service users as well as their own health and wellbeing.
Exploring end-of-life care for South Asian kidney patients: interviewer reflections
Authors: Wilkinson Emma , Waqar Muhammad , Gill Balbir , Hoque Pina , Jetha Champa , Bola Kulwinder Kaur , Mahmood Riffat , Mahmood Sultan , Saujani Rita , Randhawa Gurch
Published: March 2017

The reduction of inequalities in access to quality care has been a central tenet of UK health policy. Ethnic minorities may experience additional inequalities because of language and other cultural barriers. This article reports interviewer reflections of conducting interviews with South Asian kidney patients about their experiences of end-of-life care. It explores themes which emerged from the analysis of a focus group held with eight bilingual research interviewers. The relevance of these themes to understanding inequalities and access to end-of-life care is discussed; together with the potential for the research process to contribute to service improvement.
The importance of interdisciplinary communication in the process of anticipatory prescribing
Authors: Wilson Eleanor , Seymour Jane
Published: March 2017

In the UK there has been a widespread introduction of ‘anticipatory prescribing’ in community based palliative care. This involves general practitioners (GPs) writing prescriptions in anticipation of them being needed and has been encouraged to try to minimise the risk of patients suffering uncontrolled symptoms and distress; a key reason why terminally ill patients are admitted to hospital in contradiction of most people's preferences. This paper presents the findings from an ethnographic study of healthcare professionals across four care homes and four community sites in two regions (East Midlands and Lancashire/South Cumbria) of the UK. Data were collected from a range of community health professionals, resulting in 83 episodes of observation and 72 interviews. Findings highlight how essential good interdisciplinary communication is to the process of anticipatory prescribing and end-of-life care. This study found that when interdisciplinary communication worked well the anticipatory prescribing process could be carried out smoothly, optimising patient care.
Biochemical Characterization of Tunisian Cichorium Intybus L. Roots and Optimization of Ultrasonic Inulin Extraction
Authors: Zarroug Youkabed Ouederni , Abdelkarim Aydi , Terras Dorra Sfayhi , Hamdaoui Ghaith , EL Felah Mouldi , Hassouna Mnasser
Published: March 2017

In this study Cichorium intybus L. roots were tested for its chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and phenolic profile. Optimization of ultrasonic inulin extraction using response surface methodology (RSM) was further investigated. Chicory roots were found to have high value of total carbohydrates (70.43%), soluble fiber (66.93), Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (33.07%), potassium (380 mg/100g), calcium (540 mg/100g) and sodium (140 mg/100g). Chicory roots exhibit a high content of flavonoids, polyphenols, and tannins. Antioxidant activity measurement reveals the capacity of Chicory roots to scavenge diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. Phenolic acids profile shows the abundance of vanillic acid (19.64%) followed by protocatechuic acid (15.67%). The effect of three independent variables namely extraction time, the ratio of water to raw material and temperature on inulin extraction was studied. Optimum deciding responses were Inulin content, Total Soluble Solids (TSS) content and Water produced inulin yield. The optimal ultrasonic extraction conditions were: extraction time 87 min, liquid to solid ratio 38 (ml/g) and ultrasonic temperature 61°C. Under these conditions, the inulin content, TSS content and produced inulin yield were 35.92%, 24.72%, and 32.53%, respectively. The produced inulin was characterized by the Fourier infrared transformation (FTIR) and observed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Green and efficient method for the synthesis of 1,5-benzodiazipines using phosphate fertilizers as catalysts under free solvent
Authors: Sibous Sibous , Ghailane Touriya , Houda Serrar , Ghailane Rachida , Boukhris Said , Souizi Abdelaziz
Published: March 2017

Three-component reaction in one pot transformation of aldehydes, ethylacetoacetate and o-phenylenediamine was employed for the synthesis, under solvent-free, of 1,5-benzodiazepine derivatives using fertilizers mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP), di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and triple super phosphate (TSP) as safe, clean, and recyclable catalysts. The synthesis method seems to be operationally simple and provides access to a variety of 1,5-benzodiazepines with excellent yields in a short reaction time.
Correlation Analysis of the viscosity Arrhenius-type equations parameters for some binary liquids mixtures
Authors: Alarfaj Ahlam Abdulaziz , Kacem Rami B. H. , Snoussi Lotfi , Vrinceanu Narcisa , Alkhaldi Mishael A. , Alzamel Nora O. , Ouerfelli Noureddine
Published: March 2017

The analysis of fluids physicochemical properties, particularly the liquids viscosity, is important for the optimization of industrial processes and products. For that, several empirical and semi-empirical equations have been proposed in the literature to study the viscosity of pure liquids and binary liquid mixtures. In this context, Messaâdi et al. have recently proposed an equation correlating the two parameters of the viscosity Arrhenius-type equation, such as the activation energy (Ea) and the pre-exponential factor (As), for 75 pure solvents. This paper aims to extend their model to binary liquid mixtures. To achieve this purpose, statistical analysis is made using data sets from the literature of some solvent binary mixtures at different compositions and temperatures. The validation of the extended Messaâdi-Dhouibi equation for binary liquid mixtures simplifies the estimation of viscous behavior and the ensuing calculations. It is very useful for engineering data which permits to estimate one non-available parameter when the second one is available.
First Description of a Guanidine-embedded Pillar[5]arene: Opening New Avenues for Biological Applications
Authors: Xi Li , Shaikh Rafik Rajjak , Roosevelt Priya , Du Xusheng , Yu Hongliang , Novack Dylan , Meguellati Kamel
Published: March 2017

Guanidine functionality embedded in macrocyclic framework provides intriguing and tunable chemical and physical characteristics to molecular structures. We describe in this paper the first example of guanidine-containing pillar[5]arene and their potential applications in biology and material science. The reaction of O-alkylated p-aminopillar[5]arene with guanylating reagent, amidinopyrazole hydrochloride, gives first ever synthesis of a new generation of guanidine-embedded pillararene 2 under mild reaction conditions.
Maße für die Umwelt
Authors: Friedrich Gethmann Carl , Mittelstraß Jürgen
Published: March 2017

“Environmental standards” are regulations, by which judicial concepts relating to the environment are transformed into concrete norms based on operationalizing and standardizing measurable quantities. The development of environmental standards is a complex process in which
the scientific insights of various disciplines, normative convictions and social frameworks all participate, each in its own specific fashion. (1) This contribution argues against a “naturalistic” and for a “culturalistic” understanding of the environment and environmental
standards: Environmental standards are obligations which humans impose on their actions, when and insofar as they want to live together in a certain way. The fact that humans mandate environmental standards does not hand over their construction to arbitrary political maneuvering. It is constrained
– besides by general standards of rationality – by scientifically discovered facts (for example, relations between dosage and effect), by the goals set by the social evaluation processes, and by the rules of a rational risk-opportunity evaluation. (2) Environmental standards
have the general function of specifying, in particular cases of action under risks, the boundaries in such a way that the question, where does the threshold lie? always prompts the counter-question, what are we prepared to invest? Thus, a closer analysis of the problem of environmental standards
shows it to be an instance of the broader problem of specifying the criteria of rationality of actions under risks. (3) Especially in the area of environmental standards, (normative) acceptability displays a significant discrepancy to (factual) acceptance of imposed risks. Only if we distinguish
between acceptance and acceptability can we concede the state the right to impose risks on its citizens by law and also to punish infractions of environmental standards by sanctions. Citizens are assumed, thereby, to be able to act in a pragmatically consistent manner, id est, the citizen
must also be prepared to have imposed on him those risks he imposes on others (and himself). This principle of pragmatic consistency is the higher norm legitimating the acceptability of risks. (4) The decisive point is thus that society must so organize its decision processes that
their rationality can be perceived by the citizens affected. This would best be served by an environmental council in which the system of science (in the form of an expert committee) and the political system (in the form of an administrative committee) cooperate. This cooperation should be
ruled by the primacy of substantive competence; this means, especially, that the testimony of the system of science must be given full consequence.