bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overcoming silence: language emancipation in a coastal Sámi-Norwegian community
Authors: Johansen Åse Mette
Published: March 2015

This article examines the complexity of language emancipatory processes at the micro level in a small coastal Sámi-Norwegian community in Northern Norway. The local context of Olmmáivággi/Manndalen is characterised both by former Norwegianisation (1850–1950) and by ongoing revitalisation (1980–today). The analysis sheds light on the ways in which individuals living in Manndalen experience the historically changing and somewhat contradictory concept of language emancipation. The data presented are taken from interviews with two women who represent the extremes of a four-generational process covering the development from language shift towards language revitalisation. Their diverging accounts of these processes are discussed on the background of the historical transition from understanding Norwegianisation as language emancipation towards defining revitalisation as the same. In drawing attention to the speaker, the article seeks to deepen the understanding of the multifaceted history and reality in which micro-level language choices are embedded, and furthermore to emphasise that the most fundamental level of language emancipation is the level of individual language users: Languages are not in the need of emancipation; speakers are.
The Influence of English on U.S. Spanish: Introduction
Authors: Waltermire Mark
Published: March 2015

Situations of sustained language contact between Spanish and English have existed in the United States since the early nineteenth century. Initial contact between these two languages in what is now the U.S. Southwest was the result of territorial expansion by English-speaking settlers. Later contact situations in New York and Florida were caused by economic and political circumstances facing Spanish speaking caribeños. As a result of this contact, English has exerted some degree of influence on the bilingual Spanish spoken in the United States. The structural results of contact range from subtle changes in articulation to broad changes in the lexicon, all of which have been studied to greater and lesser extents by linguists over the past century. This introduction provides a point of reference for these studies. The accumulation of structural influences from English, regardless of geographical location, is leading to a transformation in the linguistic structure of U.S. Spanish, thereby making it distinct from other varieties of this language.
Miami-Cuban Spanish vowels in contact
Authors: Alvord Scott Mark , Rogers Brandon
Published: March 2015

While traditional studies on Spanish vowels have agreed that it is a stable system with very little variation, Varela (1992) claims to have observed English transfer phenomena in the vowel system of Miami Cuban Spanish (i.e. schwa in unstressed position, diphthongization of mid-vowels, and the use of English vowels in place of Spanish vowels: e.g. [æ] for /o/, [æk.tú.b?e] for octubre). The current study empirically tests Varela’s claims of English transfer in the Spanish vowel system of three generations of Miami Cuban bilinguals. Speech is analyzed acoustically with Praat and vowel formant values (F1 and F2) are normalized with NORM. No evidence of English vowels replacing Spanish vowels is discovered but the existence of vowel centralization of unstressed vowels in Miami Cuban Spanish is confirmed. The current study discusses the stability of the Miami Cuban Spanish vowel system as compared to Spanish in general.
New Perspectives on Endangered Languages: Bridging gaps between sociolinguistics, documentation and language revitalization. José Antonio Flores Farfán and Fernando F. Ramallo (eds) (2010) Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Pp. 156 ISBN: 97890272
Authors: Sippola Eeva
Published: March 2015

Review
Does meta-linguistic awareness play any role at the beginning of an ongoing sound change? The case of some vowel-ended verbs in Catalan
Authors: Carrera-Sabaté Josefina
Published: March 2015

As Ohala (1989) pointed out, in any language there exists variation in the pronunciation of words that is not recognized by speakers. Furthermore, several studies from subfields of linguistics and psychology (Preston, 1989; Markham, 1999; Williams, Garret and Coupland, 1999) provide evidence of individuals’ ability to perceive and encode the variability of what is heard around them. Apart from that, phonological awareness is an important part of the oral language acquisition process, which is directly related to schooling and learning grammar. Finally, as Labov (2001) stated, linguistic insecurity may be regarded as an aspect of social mobility rather than of social insecurity, and it seems that linguistic insecurity is shaped by social and geographic dialects and education (Baron, 1976). Taking this background into account, this paper investigates an ongoing sound change through the analysis of speaker perceptions via a series of awareness and discrimination tasks and observations of meta-linguistic awareness. The informants analyzed are speakers of the Lleidatà dialect, a Western variety of Catalan. The ongoing sound change studied concerns the productive variability of the ending (i.e. [e ]/ [E ]) in different verb tenses, such as canta ‘she/he sings’ or cantava ‘she/he used to sing’. This ending has been traditionally pronounced [e ]; however, nowadays it is starting to be pronounced [E ]. The analysis of the perception of this phenomenon sheds light on the fact that the prestige of the new vowel [E ] (spread through schooling and local broadcasting) is linked to more linguistically innovative and insecure speakers. Those included in this group are subjects who have both knowledge of written Catalan and a higher sociocultural status.
Ute Reference Grammar and Ute Texts Talmy Givón (2011) and (2013) [Publications of the Philological Society, 45] Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins [Culture and Language Use, vols. 3 and 7] Pp. xxiii + 441, and xvi + 333 ISBN 9789027202840
Authors: Kittilä Seppo
Published: March 2015

Book review
Writing with Laptops
Authors: Collins Penelope , Hwang Jin Kyoung , Zheng Binbin , Warschauer Mark
Published: March 2015

This study examines the effects of a one-to-one laptop program on the scientific writing of 5th and 6th grade students. A total of 538 native English-speaking, fluent English-proficient, and limited English-proficient students from four laptop schools and three control schools were prompted to write scientific essays at the start and end of the school year. Essays were examined along three dimensions: word use, text complexity, and writing quality. Overall, students who used laptops wrote longer, better structured essays that included more paragraphs and sentences. Students in the laptop condition also wrote higher quality prose that contained richer details and better addressed the prompts. Students in the laptop condition additionally showed greater gains from the beginning to the end of the year in the number of sentences per paragraph and the number of words per sentence than students in control classrooms. Finally, we found that although students’ writing varied as a function of proficiency in English, the effects of writing with laptops, in terms of both modality effects and gains associated with the treatment, were comparable for students with limited English proficiency, language minority students who were considered to have fluent English proficiency, and native English speakers. Thus, the benefits of including individual laptops in writing instruction may be enjoyed by elementary school students with varying levels of English proficiency.
Tired of Tech
Authors: Croxall Brian
Published: March 2015

When introducing new technologies into the writing classroom, one runs the risk of producing “tool fatigue” in students, who can become overwhelmed by writing in different environments. With careful design and introduction of an assignment, however, instructors can help their classes avoid the pitfalls that come with innovative projects. Building from an experience with a failed assignment, this article outlines best practices for helping students and assignments succeed when writing with digital technologies.
Google Translate in the EFL Classroom
Authors: Benda Jonathan
Published: March 2015

While composition has become more open to issues of world Englishes and more aware of how English writing is taught and learned in countries other than the United States, one of the issues that needs further investigation concerns the influence of increasingly powerful and accessible technologies for translation on the teaching of English writing in places where English is not the language of local communication. The most widely available technology for translation, Google Translate, can quickly convert large amounts of text from one language to another, though it does it with varying amounts of accuracy. Despite its sometimes egregious mistakes, however, it is fast becoming a tool not only for people who want to read online texts written in another language, but for composing texts. How students of English as a foreign language (EFL) might use translation technologies such as Google’s translation function when composing is an important question because it stretches (perhaps uncomfortably) the boundaries of what it means to “write in English.” How should EFL writing teachers integrate the use of such technologies into their teaching? In this article, I will explore the context of Google translation use in one country where English is not a language of local communication. Finally, I will suggest ways to use this phenomenon to rethink the notion of what it means to teach EFL writing in an age of increasingly sophisticated machine translation.
Apple’s Dictation Software
Authors: Hill Christopher John
Published: March 2015

In this article, I evaluate Apple’s voice dictation software and reflect on how it might be integrated into the writing process for those who suffer from Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) and other writing-related ailments. I discuss how voice recognition software could become a feature of the daily writing experience and speculate on how writing technologies could evolve in the future.
Authorial Identity
Authors: Olson Beal Heather K
Published: March 2015

Doctoral students who seek to become part of what Geertz called “intellectual villages” (Geertz 1983: 157) must acculturate themselves into the ways of being, knowing, and especially writing in an academic discourse community. In this autobiographical case study, I use the academic writing I produced as a doctoral student to explore the process of developing an academic identity. I analyzed my writing for the absence or presence of the following rhetorical strategies: referencing conventions, use or avoidance of the scholarly I, and use of questions in the text. This critical examination of my writing illustrates the ways in which I experimented with my emerging academic identity as I struggled to begin participating meaningfully in the ongoing conversation within the discourse community I sought to join.
A Teacher's Perspectives on Peer Review in ESL Classes
Authors: Vorobel Oksana , Vásquez Camilla
Published: March 2015

Studies of peer review in ESL classes typically focus on student attitudes and experiences. In contrast, teachers’ perceptions of and experiences with peer review have not been the focus of much scholarly attention. This case study explored one experienced teacher’s perspectives on peer review sessions in ESL classes. The study was conducted in the English language institute at a large urban university in the southeastern United States between Fall 2009 and Summer 2010. Shelley, the focal ESL instructor, was selected purposefully for her extensive use of peer review sessions in academic reading and writing classes. Classroom observations and interviews were subsequently analyzed using direct interpretation method (Creswell, 2007). The findings of the study shed light on the process of peer review sessions and their advantages and disadvantages from an experienced teacher’s point of view. Triangulation of the data, thick description of the context and procedures, a detailed discussion of the results, and the researchers’ reflexivity contribute to the reliability and validity of the findings. With its focus on the teacher’s perspective and experiences, the findings of this study may inform educators about the process of peer review and its pros and cons in ESL classes.
The Rhetoric Revision Log
Authors: Yi Urim , Baker-Smemoe Wendy , Evans Norman W
Published: March 2015

The current study reports on the “rhetoric revision log,” which was developed to help second language writing students track their progress in improving rhetoric-related issues in their writing (such as organization and topic development). Sixty-six English as a second language (ESL) students were divided into one control and two treatment groups. Students in the two treatment groups used the rhetoric revision log to keep a record of teacher written feedback in several rhetoric-related areas throughout the course of one semester. The two treatment groups differed in that in one the students used only the log (log-only), while in the other (log + conference) students also participated in structured writing conferences in which the teacher discussed the rhetoric revision log with the students. Results revealed that both treatment groups improved more in their overall writing ability than the control group. Moreover, students in the log + conference group were more likely than the other two groups to improve in rhetoric-related writing features over the course of the semester. These findings suggest that using the rhetoric revision log helped students improve not only rhetoric-related aspects of their writing, but also their overall writing ability.
Responding without Grading
Authors: Rosenfeld Sue T
Published: March 2015

Much of the research on teacher response to student writing has focused on how teachers can best help their students improve their writing and, concomitantly, on the reactions teachers’ responses evoke in their students. What is largely absent as an object of study in this research is the teacher’s experience of the responding process and the effects which alternative methods of response have on the teacher’s role in the classroom. This article describes my attempts as a writing teacher to separate grading student writing from responding to student writing. Based on my observations during a modest pilot study, I suggest that the act of grading lies at the heart of the negative reactions teachers have when they respond to student writing and that eliminating grading has positive effects on the teacher’s response process, on classroom instruction, and on how teachers conceptualize their classroom role.
Handbook of Automated Essay Evaluation Current Applications and New Directions Mark D. Shermis and Jill Burstein (eds.) (2013)
Authors: Lockwood Jane
Published: March 2015

Handbook of Automated Essay Evaluation Current Applications and New Directions Mark D. Shermis and Jill Burstein (eds.) (2013) New York: Routledge. Pp. 194 ISBN: 9780415810968
Every Child a Writer
Authors: Pennington Martha C.
Published: March 2015

Editor's Introduction
The Impact of Social Networking and a Multiliteracies Pedagogy on English Language Learners’ Writer Identities
Authors: Hughes Janette Michelle , Morrison Laura
Published: March 2015

This study examined the impact of using a multiliteracies pedagogy and the social networking site (SNS), Ning, to help 6th grade English language learners (ELLs) develop their writer identities, with the purpose of increasing the students’ confidence, sense of self, and language and literacy skills. To this end, we were interested in whether and how the development of a writer identity and an increase in social presence on the Ning would translate into face-to-face connections in the physical classroom and an induction into the academic learning community – a space in which the students may have previously felt intimidated. In doing this, we employed a qualitative case study analysis to investigate the experiences of two ELLs at an elementary school in Toronto, Canada. Our study found that incorporating multimodal tools and an SNS allowed the students to more freely express themselves; to share their work and their personalities with peers, which made the writing assignments more meaningful and engaging; and provided a platform for students to negotiate their values and beliefs. Ultimately, the increased interactions with peers online and the development of this new English-language literate identity translated into the development of students’ individual voices, a sense of ownership of English, and an increased social presence in the classroom.
Harnessing the Power of Blogging with Young Students
Authors: Jordan Rebecca Lee Payne
Published: March 2015

The importance of digital literacy becomes increasingly apparent as we move farther into the 21st century. As the digital world becomes an increasing part of our everyday lives and an important aspect of many professions, the need to instruct students on how to publish their thoughts digitally is ever more apparent. As technological proficiency becomes increasingly expected in many employment settings, it is vital that students are able to make their thoughts clear electronically. Blogging in a safe environment is one way that educators may blend young students’ writing skill, their awareness of the purposes for writing, and digital-age technology. This article describes the work of one primary grade teacher at an urban high-needs school’s use of blogging in conjunction with writing workshop. Use of blogging to publish students’ writing increased students’ writing engagement, improved their knowledge of how to navigate and use computers, and increased their understanding of the potential benefits and dangers of writing digitally.
MESOTHELIAL DIAPHRAGMATIC CYST
Authors: Vaičiulėnaitė Justina , Trainavičius Kęstutis
Published: March 2015

Primary diaphragmatic cyst – is a very rare diagnosis with complicated determination due to its specific anatomical location and close relation to other organs[1, 3]. However, diaphragmatic cysts are commonly discovered accidentally while performing visual examination because of totally other reasons [4]. 7-year-old male patient presented with abdominal pain and abdominal ultrasonography was performed. There was accidentally found a hepatic cyst of 39 × 30 mm size in right lobe of the liver. Operation was planned because of the cystic lesion enlargement. During the operation diaphragmatic cyst was found. Pathological examination revealed that this lesion is a mesothelial cyst of peritoneum.
THE PROBLEMATIC ASPECTS OF THE HOSPITAL EXEMPTION REGULATION FOR ADVANCED THERAPY MEDICINAL PRODUCTS
Authors: Ivaškienė Tatjana
Published: March 2015

Advanced therapy medicinal products – new category of biological pharmaceutical products, which covers somatic cell therapy, gene therapy, tissue-engineered products and combined advanced therapy medicinal products. Regulation (EC) No 1394/2007 defined advanced therapy medicinal products and set up special rules for advanced therapy medicinal products intended to be placed on the market in Member States and prepared industrially or manufactured by a method involving an industrial process. The scope of Regulation (EC) No 1394/2007 is not applicable for advanced therapy medicinal products which are prescribed under the exclusive professional responsibility of a medical practitioner, prepared on a non-routine basis according to specific quality standards and used within the same Member State in a hospital, but at the same time it is stressed that Comunity rules related to quality and safety should not be breaked for these products. For this purpose Member States should provide
BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations in Ethnic Lebanese Arab Women With High Hereditary Risk Breast Cancer
Authors: El Saghir Nagi S. , Zgheib Nathalie K. , Assi Hussein A. , Khoury Katia E. , Bidet Yannick , Jaber Sara M. , Charara Raghid N. , Farhat Rania A. , Kreidieh Firas Y. , Decousus Stephanie , Romero Pierre , Nemer Georges M. , Salem Ziad , Shamseddine Ali , Tfayli Arafat , Abbas Jaber , Jamali Faek , Seoud Muhieddine , Armstrong Deborah K. , Bignon Yves-Jean , Uhrhammer Nancy
Published: March 2015

Purpose.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women in Lebanon and in Arab countries, with 50% of cases presenting before the age of 50 years.

Methods.

Between 2009 and 2012, 250 Lebanese women with breast cancer who were considered to be at high risk of carrying BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations because of presentation at young age and/or positive family history (FH) of breast or ovarian cancer were recruited. Clinical data were analyzed statistically. Coding exons and intron-exon boundaries of BRCA1 and BRCA2 were sequenced from peripheral blood DNA. All patients were tested for BRCA1 rearrangements using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). BRCA2 MLPA was done in selected cases.

Results.

Overall, 14 of 250 patients (5.6%) carried a deleterious BRCA mutation (7 BRCA1, 7 BRCA2) and 31 (12.4%) carried a variant of uncertain significance. Eight of 74 patients (10.8%) aged ≤40 years with positive FH and only 1 of 74 patients (1.4%) aged ≤40 years without FH had a mutated BRCA. Four of 75 patients (5.3%) aged 41–50 years with FH had a deleterious mutation. Only 1 of 27 patients aged >50 years at diagnosis had a BRCA mutation. All seven patients with BRCA1 mutations had grade 3 infiltrating ductal carcinoma and triple-negative breast cancer. Nine BRCA1 and 17 BRCA2 common haplotypes were observed.

Conclusion.

Prevalence of deleterious BRCA mutations is lower than expected and does not support the hypothesis that BRCA mutations alone cause the observed high percentage of breast cancer in young women of Lebanese and Arab descent. Studies to search for other genetic mutations are recommended.
REGIONAL ASPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT OF SYNDICATED LOAN MARKET IN RUSSIA AND PRICE TRENDS UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF MODERN WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS
Authors: Arsenova L. A.
Published: March 2015

Syndicated loans market has significantly changed following the financial crisis in 2008-2010. However for the regional companies the syndicated loans have become an instrument for the increase in efficiency and recovery. As well Russian banks are more active on the syndicated loans market. As for the further development and pricing trends we assume that the pre-crisis amounts and structures of the syndicated loans could not return before end 2012–2013 however the pricing will remain on the current level.
ANTI-CRISIS REGULATION OF INSURANCE ACTIVITIES
Authors: Nasyrova G. A.
Published: March 2015

The article is dedicated to characteristics of anti-crisis regulation in insurance sector, which is presented in historical and hierarchical aspects. Suggested classification and structured measures of anti-crisis regulation make it possible to analyze anti-crisis regulation as a complex process, identify its stages and levels which do not have adequate forms or tools of prevention and limitation of negative tendencies that exist in insurance sector.
PREMEDITATED BANKRUPTCY DIAGNOSTICS BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF ACTS WITH HEIGHTENED RISK
Authors: Arzyakova I. V.
Published: March 2015

Premeditated bankruptcy risk is connected with problems of safeguarding of companies` economic security. Nowadays mechanism of eliciting of premeditated bankruptcy signs is not efficient. It’s suggested a new approach of premeditated bankruptcy diagnostics based on the analysis of acts with heightened risk. Such acts include actions/inactions which realize on disadvantageous terms and harm company interests.
THE PROBLEM OF INSOLVENCY OFFICER’S LEGAL RELATIONS
Authors: Karnaukh V. P.
Published: March 2015

This article is devoted to the various problems which may appear in connection with insolvency officer’s activity, specifically, to the different aspects of insolvency officer’s legal relations, which includes: insolvency officer’s authority certification, insolvency officer’s representation, bank card’s certification by insolvency officer, insolvency officer’s sealing.
ANTICRISIS MARKETING STRATEGY AS COMPANY’S STRATEGIC MAP
Authors: Kuznetsov S. Yu.
Published: March 2015

We describe turnaround marketing strategy in the form of a strategic map with several levels of formalization (strategic planning, marketing policy through investment and asset management, marketing tools, marketing business intelligence, organizational structure). At the second level strategy map shows the marketing policy aimed at the reconstruction of old and/or acquisition of new marketing assets: marketing research assets, brand equity, customer loyalty, strategic pipeline partnerships – through effective marketing investments in the consumers (their selection, acquisition, retention, growth).
SYSTEM OF INDICATORS FOR MONITORING THE ECONOMIC SECURITY IN THE REGION
Authors: Denezhkina I. Е. , Suzdaleva D. А.
Published: March 2015

This article describes the process of designing system to minimize risks in order to construct the algorithm for monitoring, analyzing and evaluating the economic security in the region. The approach to the selection of economic security indicators is justified. For each indicator relevant thresholds values are identified and substantiated. The indicators system allows determining the reproduction processes vector in which the risks of internal and external threats to social and economic development in the region minimize.
CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO ANALYSIS OF THE RISK OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS USE FOR NON-ENERGY PURPOSES
Authors: Masterov S. V. , Glebov V. B. , Krasnoborodko А. А. , Bateev А. B.
Published: March 2015

Large-scale development of nuclear power increases the risk of non-peaceful use of nuclear materials. Therefore, development and justification of the methods for quantification of nuclear materials protection against unauthorized activity are needed. Also, the justification for the ways to improve internal protection of nuclear materials is required. The concept of the risk of nuclear materials unauthorized use is proposed for quantification of nuclear materials protection. The formulas for calculating the probability of implementation of the illegal actions chain and for the damage caused by nuclear materials non-peaceful use are obtained. The example of comparative assessment of highly enrichment uranium protection is presented.
INVESTMENT ATTRACTIVENESS OF HOUSING AND UTILITIES SECTOR
Authors: Grabovy P. G. , Malikova I. P.
Published: March 2015

Investment attractiveness of housing and utilities sector for private operators refers to conditions of investment of communal infrastructure as principles of investment, as well as long-term rent, i.e.: on account of state and municipal assistance on non-return or beneficial terms; possibility to acquire such electricity, heat, water supply and drainage objects being constructed, that have not been included as a part of concession agreement against guarantee of investment return with regard to interest rated specified by such concession agreement, and one of tools of investment attraction thereof is application of new methods of tariff management and various models of agreements.
10. SHYLOCK E O PECADO CAPITAL DA USURA
Authors: Da SILVA Maritza Maffei
Published: March 2015

O foco nuclear deste texto incide em uma combinação explosiva. Um mercador cristão Antônio, solicita a seu inimigo judeu o usurário Shylock, um empréstimo de três mil ducados, aceitando como multa a extração de uma libra de sua carne, se a quantia não for paga no tempo aprazado. À partir dai, as perepécias se desenrolam em um ritimo vertiginoso e contundente. Palavras-chave: uma libra de carne, três mil ducados, farsa judicial.
4. VIVER A VIDA PARA MORRER A MORTE (sobre A Morte de Ivan Ilitch)
Authors: JÚLIO Ana Luíza
Published: March 2015

O presente artigo é baseado no texto – novela de Leon Tolstói referente ao parco sentido de vida vivida por um juíz e sua família, até que, na eminência de proximidade da morte, ele resolve buscar-lhe o sentido, para além das suas relações de poder com que ele se satisfizera até então. É um excelente tratado sobre  a ilusão dos sentidos quando se valoriza o status sócio-econômico classe mediano, em detrimento à valores  de ordem existencial, que possam superar a dimensão existencial.
7. SENTENÇAS ILÍQUIDAS: CAUSAS (?)
Authors: RAMOS Liane Slaviero
Published: March 2015

O presente trabalho tem por finalidade perquirir dentro do sistema jurídico brasileiro quais as causas que geram um provimento jurisdicional ilíquido, ou seja, que não está apto a embasar uma demanda executiva eis que carente de um requisito, bem como investigar se a iliquidez é prejudicial à tutela jurisdicional constitucional.

 
10. EL CONTROL DIFUSO Y LA SALA CONSTITUCIONAL DEL TRIBUNAL SUPREMO DE JUSTICIA VENEZOLANO
Authors: NUÑEZ Emercio José Aponte
Published: March 2015

Este artículo trata sobre la evolucion del ejerciciodel control difuso de la constitucionalidad por parte de la Sala Constitucional del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia de Venezuela
4. LA BIOETICA COMO DESAFIO A LOS JURISTAS EN TIEMPOS DE FENOMENOS COMPLEJOS
Authors: ANDRUET Armando
Published: March 2015

 
Este articulo tiene como objetivo analizar la destacada ‘juridización de la bioética’ que no es ‘bioetización del derecho’, supondrá que con el tiempo, se tengan que decantar un conjunto de principios que resuman de alguna manera lo que constituye la práctica habitual de dicho ámbito
Model averaging and muddled multimodel inferences
Authors: Cade Brian S.
Published: March 2015

Three flawed practices associated with model averaging coefficients for predictor variables in regression models commonly occur when making multimodel inferences in analyses of ecological data. Model‐averaged regression coefficients based on Akaike information criterion (AIC) weights have been recommended for addressing model uncertainty but they are not valid, interpretable estimates of partial effects for individual predictors when there is multicollinearity among the predictor variables. Multicollinearity implies that the scaling of units in the denominators of the regression coefficients may change across models such that neither the parameters nor their estimates have common scales, therefore averaging them makes no sense. The associated sums of AIC model weights recommended to assess relative importance of individual predictors are really a measure of relative importance of models, with little information about contributions by individual predictors compared to other measures of relative importance based on effects size or variance reduction. Sometimes the model‐averaged regression coefficients for predictor variables are incorrectly used to make model‐averaged predictions of the response variable when the models are not linear in the parameters. I demonstrate the issues with the first two practices using the college grade point average example extensively analyzed by Burnham and Anderson. I show how partial standard deviations of the predictor variables can be used to detect changing scales of their estimates with multicollinearity. Standardizing estimates based on partial standard deviations for their variables can be used to make the scaling of the estimates commensurate across models, a necessary but not sufficient condition for model averaging of the estimates to be sensible. A unimodal distribution of estimates and valid interpretation of individual parameters are additional requisite conditions. The standardized estimates or equivalently thetstatistics on unstandardized estimates also can be used to provide more informative measures of relative importance than sums of AIC weights. Finally, I illustrate how seriously compromised statistical interpretations and predictions can be for all three of these flawed practices by critiquing their use in a recent species distribution modeling technique developed for predicting Greater Sage‐Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) distribution in Colorado, USA. These model averaging issues are common in other ecological literature and ought to be discontinued if we are to make effective scientific contributions to ecological knowledge and conservation of natural resources.
Emergency Department Visits for Nontraumatic Dental Problems: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Sun Benjamin C. , Chi Donald L. , Schwarz Eli , Milgrom Peter , Yagapen Annick , Malveau Susan , Chen Zunqui , Chan Ben , Danner Sankirtana , Owen Erin , Morton Vickie , Lowe Robert A.
Published: March 2015

Objectives. We documented emergency department (ED) visits for nontraumatic dental problems and identified strategies to reduce ED dental visits.

Methods. We used mixed methods to analyze claims in 2010 from a purposive sample of 25 Oregon hospitals and Oregon’s All Payer All Claims data set and interviewed 51 ED dental visitors and stakeholders from 6 communities.

Results. Dental visits accounted for 2.5% of ED visits and represented the second-most-common discharge diagnosis in adults aged 20 to 39 years, were associated with being uninsured (odds ratio [OR] = 5.2 [reference: commercial insurance]; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.8, 5.5) or having Medicaid insurance (OR = 4.0; 95% CI = 3.7, 4.2), resulted in opioid (56%) and antibiotic (56%) prescriptions, and generated $402 (95% CI = $396, $408) in hospital costs per visit. Interviews revealed health system, community, provider, and patient contributors to ED dental visits. Potential solutions provided by interviewees included Medicaid benefit expansion, care coordination, water fluoridation, and patient education.

Conclusions. Emergency department dental visits are a significant and costly public health problem for vulnerable individuals. Future efforts should focus on implementing multilevel interventions to reduce ED dental visits.
Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Differences in Short-Term Breast Cancer Survival Among Women in an Integrated Health System
Authors: Keegan Theresa H. M. , Kurian Allison W. , Gali Kathleen , Tao Li , Lichtensztajn Daphne Y. , Hershman Dawn L. , Habel Laurel A. , Caan Bette J. , Gomez Scarlett L.
Published: March 2015

Objectives. We examined the combined influence of race/ethnicity and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) on short-term survival among women with uniform access to health care and treatment.

Methods. Using electronic medical records data from Kaiser Permanente Northern California linked to data from the California Cancer Registry, we included 6262 women newly diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. We analyzed survival using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression with follow-up through 2010.

Results. After consideration of tumor stage, subtype, comorbidity, and type of treatment received, non-Hispanic White women living in low-SES neighborhoods (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07, 1.52) and African Americans regardless of neighborhood SES (high SES: HR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.01, 2.07; low SES: HR = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.42, 2.50) had worse overall survival than did non-Hispanic White women living in high-SES neighborhoods. Results were similar for breast cancer–specific survival, except that African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites living in high-SES neighborhoods had similar survival.

Conclusions. Strategies to address the underlying factors that may influence treatment intensity and adherence, such as comorbidities and logistical barriers, should be targeted at low-SES non-Hispanic White and all African American patients.
Partners in Health: A Conceptual Framework for the Role of Community Health Workers in Facilitating Patients' Adoption of Healthy Behaviors
Authors: Katigbak Carina , Van Devanter Nancy , Islam Nadia , Trinh-Shevrin Chau
Published: March 2015

We formulated a conceptual framework that begins to answer the national call to improve health care access, delivery, and quality by explaining the processes through which community health workers (CHWs) facilitate patients’ adoption of healthy behaviors. In September 2011 to January 2012, we conducted a qualitative study that triangulated multiple data sources: 26 in-depth interviews, training documents, and patient charts. CHWs served as partners in health to immigrant Filipinos with hypertension, leveraging their cultural congruence with intervention participants, employing interpersonal communication techniques to build trust and rapport, providing social support, and assisting with health behavior change. To drive the field forward, this work can be expanded with framework testing that may influence future CHW training and interventions.
Incidence and Prevalence of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Among Arab and Chaldean Americans in Southeastern Michigan: The Michigan Lupus Epidemiology and Surveillance Program
Authors: Housey Michelle , DeGuire Peter , Lyon-Callo Sarah , Wang Lu , Marder Wendy , McCune W. Joseph , Helmick Charles G. , Gordon Caroline , Dhar J. Patricia , Leisen James , Somers Emily C.
Published: March 2015

Objectives. We assessed the burden of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) among Arab and Chaldean Americans residing in southeast Michigan.

Methods. For those meeting SLE criteria from the Michigan Lupus Epidemiology and Surveillance Registry, we determined Arab or Chaldean ethnicity by links with demographic data from birth certificates and with a database of Arab and Chaldean names. We compared prevalence and incidence of SLE for Arab and Chaldean Americans with estimates for non-Arab and non-Chaldean American Whites and Blacks.

Results. We classified 54 individuals with SLE as Arab and Chaldean Americans. The age-adjusted incidence and prevalence estimates for Arab and Chaldean Americans were 7.6 and 62.6 per 100 000, respectively. Arab and Chaldean Americans had a 2.1-fold excess SLE incidence compared with non-Arab and non-Chaldean American Whites. Arab and Chaldean American women had both significantly higher incidence rates (5.0-fold increase) and prevalence estimates (7.4-fold increase) than did Arab and Chaldean American men.

Conclusions. Recognizing that Arab and Chaldean Americans experience different disease burdens from Whites is a first step toward earlier diagnosis and designing targeted interventions. Better methods of assigning ethnicity would improve research in this population.
Effects of a 2009 Illinois Alcohol Tax Increase on Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes
Authors: Wagenaar Alexander C. , Livingston Melvin D. , Staras Stephanie S.
Published: March 2015

Objectives. We examined the effects of a 2009 increase in alcohol taxes in Illinois on alcohol-related fatal motor vehicle crashes.

Methods. We used an interrupted time-series design, with intrastate and cross-state comparisons and measurement derived from driver alcohol test results, for 104 months before and 28 months after enactment. Our analyses used autoregressive moving average and generalized linear mixed Poisson models. We examined both population-wide effects and stratifications by alcohol level, age, gender, and race.

Results. Fatal alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes declined 9.9 per month after the tax increase, a 26% reduction. The effect was similar for alcohol-impaired drivers with positive alcohol levels lower than 0.15 grams per deciliter (−22%) and drivers with very high alcohol levels of 0.15 or more (−25%). Drivers younger than 30 years showed larger declines (−37%) than those aged 30 years and older (−23%), but gender and race stratifications did not significantly differ.

Conclusions. Increases in alcohol excise taxes, such as the 2009 Illinois act, could save thousands of lives yearly across the United States as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce alcohol-impaired driving.
Development of the Policy Indicator Checklist: A Tool to Identify and Measure Policies for Calorie-Dense Foods and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Across Multiple Settings
Authors: Lee Rebecca E. , Hallett Allen M. , Parker Nathan , Kudia Ousswa , Kao Dennis , Modelska Maria , Rifai Hanadi , O’Connor Daniel P.
Published: March 2015

Objectives. We developed the policy indicator checklist (PIC) to identify and measure policies for calorie-dense foods and sugar-sweetened beverages to determine how policies are clustered across multiple settings.

Methods. In 2012 and 2013 we used existing literature, policy documents, government recommendations, and instruments to identify key policies. We then developed the PIC to examine the policy environments across 3 settings (communities, schools, and early care and education centers) in 8 communities participating in the Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration Project.

Results. Principal components analysis revealed 5 components related to calorie-dense food policies and 4 components related to sugar-sweetened beverage policies. Communities with higher youth and racial/ethnic minority populations tended to have fewer and weaker policy environments concerning calorie-dense foods and healthy foods and beverages.

Conclusions. The PIC was a helpful tool to identify policies that promote healthy food environments across multiple settings and to measure and compare the overall policy environments across communities. There is need for improved coordination across settings, particularly in areas with greater concentration of youths and racial/ethnic minority populations. Policies to support healthy eating are not equally distributed across communities, and disparities continue to exist in nutrition policies.
Neighborhood Disadvantage, Preconception Stressful Life Events, and Infant Birth Weight
Authors: Witt Whitney P. , Park Hyojun , Wisk Lauren E. , Cheng Erika R. , Mandell Kara , Chatterjee Debanjana , Zarak Dakota
Published: March 2015

Objectives. We sought to determine whether the effects of preconception stressful life events (PSLEs) on birth weight differed by neighborhood disadvantage.

Methods. We drew our data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (2001–2002; n = 9300). We created a neighborhood disadvantage index (NDI) using county-level data from the 2000 US Census. We grouped the NDI into tertiles that represented advantaged, middle advantaged, and disadvantaged neighborhoods. Stratified multinomial logistic regressions estimated the effect of PSLEs on birth weight, controlling for confounders.

Results. We found a gradient in the relationship between women’s exposure to PSLEs and having a very low birth weight (VLBW) infant by NDI tertile; the association was strongest in disadvantaged neighborhoods (adjusted odd ratio [AOR] = 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04, 2.53), followed by middle (AOR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.00, 1.93) and advantaged (AOR = 1.29; 95% CI = 0.91, 1.82) neighborhoods. We observed a similar gradient for women with chronic conditions and among minority mothers.

Conclusions. Women who experienced PSLEs, who had chronic conditions, or were racial/ethnic minorities had the greatest risk of having VLBW infants if they lived in disadvantaged neighborhoods; this suggests exacerbation of risk within disadvantaged environments. Interventions to reduce rates of VLBW should focus on reducing the deleterious effects of stressors and on improving neighborhood conditions.
Simulating the Effects of Water Shut-off Treatment by Polymer Gel Injection
Authors: Lashari Zeeshan Ali , Memon Asadullah , Ansari Ubedullah , Memon H. U. , Tunio A. H.
Published: March 2015

Worldwide, the high water production along producing hydrocarbons is affecting the cumulative productivity of wells. Due to complex reservoir parametric changes during the production, the near-by water aquifers or water tables infiltrates highly into the reservoir and starts affecting the well's productivity. Controlling the high water-cut producing wells is very challenging in the petroleum industry and is of prime importance as high water cut wells sometimes creates the mechanical and chemical damages to the equipment, depending on the water composition.

The research is focused on using one of the most effective and economical chemical treatment method. The Colloidal Dispersion Polymer Gel (CDPG) is injected from the injection well into the reservoir having very high the water cut. CDPG injection attempts in increasing the water viscosity, decreasing its mobility towards producing well that results in increasing the reservoir's oil productivity. CDPG injection results in oil increment and reduces 21% water-cut whereas initially it was 78% and now it is 57%. That much amount of water if produced will cost huge techno-economics and increment oil will prominently help to increase profit.
Integrated Approach of Retrograde Condensate Simulation Using Pseudo-Pressures with Modified Equation of State and Velocity Dependent Relative Permeability
Authors: Ahmed Sheraz , Abrar Saad bin
Published: March 2015

It is a well-known fact that the deliverability of condensate reservoirs is a function of condensate formation around the wellbore. Thus, accurate estimation of condensate recovery necessitates properly modeled Equation-of-State (EOS) and subsurface flow phenomena. EOS is a function of numerous parameters of the Reservoir and Fluid contained; however it should be kept in mind that it is almost impossible to exactly match all these parameters, while all the parameters don’t obligate equal significance as well.

This paper describes the most important parameters in EOS which ultimately control the overall condensate recovery. It involves unique simulation methodology to determine the condensate flow in reservoir using velocity-dependent-relative-permeability (VRP) curves (instead of conventional-relative permeability methods) to determine the effect of velocity stripping near the well bore; and the Pseudo-pressure approach.

The modified form of EOS used in the study, along with the VRP curves features accurate condensate flow in the reservoir and its optimization. Moreover, using the pseudo pressure approach, this paper also signifies the reservoir modeling and forecasting methods with minimum amount of time for simulation.

A complete and comprehensive strategy has been presented in this paper, to infer the factors having max influence on recovery. Using diverse sensitivities, it is evident that four parameters have a high influence; which includes compositional-variation with depth, Liquid drop-out, Condensate viscosity and Compressibility, while the rest yield minimal impact. The VPR models also improve history matching and give better forecast; while using pseudo-pressure approach reduces significant time with negligible impact on the results.
Short Axis Logging for Successful Formation Testing in Ovalized Borehole Conditions
Authors: Mughal Muhammad Haroon , Khalid Arsalan , Dar Usman , Arif Fahad , Abbas Mohsin , Abbasi Iftikhar , Malik Mohsin , Bregar Udo B.
Published: March 2015

Pressure is a basic requirement in reservoir simulation, well bore stability studies, well completion design and drilling horizontal sections. Determining reservoir pressures in ovalised/elliptical hole and tight formations with wireline formation testing tools is challenging. When we have hostile logging conditions i.e. high temperature and ovalised bore-hole conditions; it becomes more difficult to obtain the formation pressures. In tight formations, conventional wireline formation testers are unable to obtain reliable pressure values as pretest volumes are very high leading to unstable pressures. This makes the pressure measurement unreliable and no further analysis is possible. Short axis logging with Positioning Calliper helps in orienting the tool towards the short axis (on-gauge side) of borehole wall making it possible to obtain seal and to take pressure points. In addition with new generation wireline formation testing tools, pressure measurement in tight formations is now possible based on the advanced pretest mechanism.

This paper is about a case study where pressure testing in ovalised bore-hole conditions in a high temperature tight gas formation was done in Pakistan. Short axis logging with positioning caliper was proposed as a solution with Advanced Formation Testing tool.