bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Government Responsiveness in the European Union: Evidence From Council Voting
Authors: Hagemann Sara , Hobolt Sara B. , Wratil Christopher
Published: January 2016

Are governments responsive to public preferences when legislating in international organizations? This article demonstrates that governments respond to domestic public opinion even when acting at the international level. Specifically, we examine conflict in the European Union’s primary legislative body, the Council of the European Union (EU). We argue that domestic electoral incentives compel governments to react to public opinion. Analyzing a unique data set on all legislative decisions adopted in the Council since 1999, we show that governments are more likely to oppose legislative proposals that extend the level and scope of EU authority when their domestic electorates are skeptical about the EU. We also find that governments are more responsive when the issue of European integration is salient in domestic party politics. Our findings demonstrate that governments can use the international stage to signal their responsiveness to public concerns and that such signals resonate in the domestic political debate.
Whose hostage? Irregular migration and the struggle for recognition
Authors: Ergin Meliz
Published: January 2016

In debates about strategies of in/visibility and recognition in the Italian migratory context, the right to look is almost exclusively attributed to Italians. This essay explores the work of contemporary writers and filmmakers, who reframe the seen/seer dichotomy and focus on the migrant gaze to demand a reevaluation of the frontiers between host/guest, Italian/foreigner. It approaches the issue of recognition through a critical reading of two philosophers, Derrida and Hegel, who root identity in reciprocal relations and emphasize the importance of mutual recognition in disrupting static categories of identity. While the first part presents an analysis of Khouma’s Io, venditore di elefanti in the light of Derrida’s discussion of the laws of hospitality, the second part focuses on Hegel’s dialectics of recognition to examine the laborious entanglement of Italians and migrants in de Caldas Brito’s ‘Io, polpastrello 5.423’ and Garrone’s Terra di Mezzo.
Quantity and quality: Increasing safety norms through after action reviews
Authors: Dunn Alexandra M , Scott Clifton , Allen Joseph A , Bonilla Daniel
Published: January 2016

Workplace safety is a concern for both scholars and practitioners alike because accidents and injuries can result in time away from work and lost organizational resources. This study focuses on how one type of post-incident discussion can be effectively used to promote positive safety norms. It adds to the growing body of research on after action review meetings, one type of post-incident discussion intervention commonly used in high reliability organizations to increase future workplace safety behaviors. This study also extends the sensemaking and high reliability literatures by examining a three-way interaction between perceived frequency of after action review meetings, ambiguity reduction and psychological safety. Survey data were obtained from 330 firefighters. Results from the three-way interaction showed that safety norms were highest when perceived after action review frequency, ambiguity reduction and psychological safety were simultaneously high, and safety norms were lowest when perceived after action review frequency, ambiguity reduction and psychological safety were simultaneously low. By examining both the perceived quantity and quality of after action review meetings, this study provides insight into which after action review facilitation objectives are most likely to increase positive safety norms and ultimately create a shared understanding of how to behave safely in future workplace events in high reliability organizational contexts.
Graded epoxy-hard coal composites: Analysis of filler particle distribution in the epoxy matrix
Authors: Stabik Józef , Chomiak Monika
Published: January 2016

The aim of the work was to achieve assumed gradation of hard coal particles distribution in epoxy matrix and thus gradation of properties. It was done by proper selection of compounds composition and conditions of the gradation formation. The graded composites were produced using centrifugal casting. Two types of epoxy resins as a matrix and two types of hard coal of various granulation as a filler were used. Samples in the form of bushings with radial carbon filler gradation were produced by changing filler type, its volumetric content and parameters of centrifugal casting. The first part of the paper presents results of graded materials structure investigations. The microscopic observations of the structure of composites prepared according to elaborated experimental program show that the composites are characterized by continuous change of the filler particles content in radial direction, so they can be classified as graded materials. Results also show that gradation of particles content and thus gradation of properties may be planned and foreseen when mechanisms of gradation formation are known.
Enamel Surface with Pit and Fissure Sealant Containing 45S5 Bioactive Glass
Authors: Yang S.-Y. , Kwon J.-S. , Kim K.-N. , Kim K.-M.
Published: January 2016

Enamel demineralization adjacent to pit and fissure sealants leads to the formation of marginal caries, which can necessitate the replacement of existing sealants. Dental materials with bioactive glass, which releases ions that inhibit dental caries, have been studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the enamel surface adjacent to sealants containing 45S5 bioactive glass (BAG) under simulated microleakage between the material and the tooth in a cariogenic environment. Sealants containing 45S5BAG filler were prepared as follows: 0% 45S5BAG + 50.0% glass (BAG0 group), 12.5% 45S5BAG + 37.5% glass (BAG12.5 group), 25.0% 45S5BAG + 25.0% glass (BAG25.0 group), 37.5% 45S5BAG + 12.5% glass (BAG37.5 group), and 50.0% 45S5BAG + 0% glass (BAG50.0 group). A cured sealant disk was placed over a flat bovine enamel disk, separated by a 60-µm gap, and immersed in lactic acid solution (pH 4.0) at 37 °C for 15, 30, and 45 d. After the storage period, each enamel disk was separated from the cured sealant disk, and the enamel surface was examined with optical 3-dimensional surface profilometer, microhardness tester, and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed a significant increase in roughness and a decrease in microhardness of the enamel surface as the proportion of 45S5BAG decreased ( P < 0.05). In the scanning electron microscopy images, enamel surfaces with BAG50.0 showed a smooth surface, similar to those in the control group with distilled water, even after prolonged acid storage. Additionally, an etched pattern was observed on the surface of the demineralized enamel with a decreasing proportion of 45S5BAG. Increasing the 45S5BAG filler contents of the sealants had a significant impact in preventing the demineralization of the enamel surface within microgaps between the material and the tooth when exposed to a cariogenic environment. Therefore, despite some marginal leakage, these novel sealants may be effective preventive dental materials for inhibiting secondary caries at the margins.
Dying for survival
Authors: Acosta Benjamin
Published: January 2016

Suicide attacks continue to plague a multitude of conflict zones. However, the scholarly literature on the phenomenon has yet to produce a theory that explains why militant organizations at different stages of development, facing dissimilar enemies, and situated in unique conflict environments adopt suicide attacks. Moreover, the suicide-attack phenomenon now presents an intriguing puzzle. While most militant organizations fail to achieve their core political ends or ‘outcome goals’, organizations that employ suicide attacks are even less likely to succeed. Still, organizations have adopted suicide attacks at increasing rates. Given their ineffectiveness in precipitating outcome-goal success, why do organizations continue to adopt suicide attacks? Like all organizations, militant organizations share two common aims: (1) to survive and (2) to achieve outcome goals. As martyrdom operations often fulfill the ideological or cultural expectations of certain identity groups, representative organizations may adopt suicide attacks to expand constituent support or enhance status within a particular political landscape. Further, organizations can conduct suicide attacks to signal ideological solidarity with fellow militant organizations. This article analyzes an original large-N dataset of militant organizations alongside an original database of over 5,000 suicide attacks, and evaluates numerous case examples. The results demonstrate that militant organizations across regions and over time have adopted suicide attacks in order to gain supporters, promote organizational longevity, and boost or preserve status.
Women from Muslim Communities: Autonomy and Capacity of Action
Authors: Joly Danièle
Published: January 2016

This article examines the interaction of women from Muslim communities with British majority society, the ethnic group and the Muslim group to ascertain enabling factors and obstacles to their autonomisation. It explores how the women navigate through the tensions underpinning the three reference groups to develop their life plan in the private and public space. The empirical research included Touraine’s methodology of sociological intervention.
Teacher Diversity and the Right to Adaptable Education in the Religiously Oriented School: What Can We Learn From Students’ Perceptions?
Authors: Finefter-Rosenbluh Ilana , Perry-Hazan Lotem
Published: January 2016

This study examines students’ perceptions of disparities between teachers’ views and the school ethos in a religiously oriented school, and dissects the implications of such disparities on the children’s right to adaptable education. The study draws on 102 essays of students enrolled in an American Jewish high school that employs a diverse teaching staff. Findings demonstrate that teacher diversity in a religiously oriented school may fulfill the children’s right to adaptable education by motivating children to engage in social perspective taking, and to interact with multiple spheres of cultural affiliations. Teacher diversity may also serve children as they formulate their own views, while not undermining parental impact. In addition, the findings portray the children’s perceptions of the teachers’ duty to respect the communal spheres of adaptability by eschewing indoctrination, remaining open and respectful, and attending to age differences. Subsequently, we offer policy recommendations regarding the need to encourage teacher diversity in religiously oriented schools.
The Impact of Climate Variables on Seasonal Variation in Hong Kong Inbound Tourism Demand
Authors: Zhang Hanqin Qiu , Kulendran Nada
Published: January 2016

In this study, we quantify the link between climate variables, such as temperature, rainfall, humidity, number of tropical cyclones, and number of thunderstorms, and seasonal variation in the Hong Kong inbound tourism demand from mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan using the average Euclidean distance (AED) statistics and tourism demand modeling approach. Seasonal variation is measured as the fluctuation in the number of tourists from one season to another. Based on the smallest AED value, results of this study showed that climate variables play a dominant role in shaping seasonal variation relative to season and country. The fluctuation of tourist numbers from one season to another is determined not only by climate variables (e.g., the temperature of Hong Kong vs. the temperature in the country of origin of the tourist) but also by economic factors, including price and income. The variation in the impact of relative temperature depends on the country of origin.
Aging and the Effects of Exploratory Behavior on Spatial Memory
Authors: Varner Kaitlin M. , Dopkins Stephen , Philbeck John W.
Published: January 2016

The present research examined the effect of encoding from multiple viewpoints on scene recall in a group of younger (18–22 years) and older (65–80 years) adults. Participants completed a visual search task, during which they were given the opportunity to examine a room using two sets of windows that partitioned the room differently. Their choice of window set was recorded, to determine whether an association between these choices and spatial memory performance existed. Subsequently, participants were tested for spatial memory of the domain in which the search task was completed. Relative to younger adults, older adults demonstrated an increased tendency to use a single set of windows as well as decreased spatial memory for the domain. Window-set usage was associated with spatial memory, such that older adults who relied more heavily on a single set of windows also had better performance on the spatial memory task. These findings suggest that, in older adults, moderation in exploratory behavior may have a positive effect on memory for the domain of exploration.
Ethnic media, conflict, and the nation-state: Kurdish broadcasting in Turkey and Europe and mediated nationhood
Authors: Smets Kevin
Published: January 2016

Drawing on fieldwork among Kurdish broadcasters in Turkey and Europe, this article shows how ethnic media mediate nationhood in a conflict context. Despite rising interest in the media–nationhood nexus, and the expansion of studies on ethnic media, little is known about ethnic media in conflicts involving state and non-state actors. This study investigates three Kurdish broadcasters, Roj-TV, Gün-TV, and TRT-6. The collected data include expert interviews and informal conversations with employees. Through a grounded theory approach, a model is developed that proposes four modes of mediated nationhood, in which the relation to the state and the role of ethnicity are key elements. Next, it is demonstrated how mediated nationhood in conflicts is characterized by multiple constraints, and how this affects the perceived roles and ethnic belongings among media professionals.
Framing of different types of information needs within simulated work task situations: An empirical study in the school context
Authors: Borlund Pia
Published: January 2016

This paper reports a meta-evaluation of how to frame different types of information needs within simulated work task situations. This is done via an empirical study of teenagers and their teachers’ Internet information searching. Two sets of simulated work task situations were carefully designed to reflect verificative, conscious topical and muddled topical information needs of each group of test participants. The study shows that it is challenging to formulate verificative simulated work task situations and to incorporate curiosity in the muddled topical simulated work task situations. The results also show that the search behaviour of the two groups differs across the information needs, as expected, but also between the two groups, owing to the search strategy and attitude of the teenagers. This is seen by how fast they were at searching and assessing relevance, often using Google’s ‘picture search function’, and saving the reading in detail for later.
Intimate Partner Violence and Women’s Help-seeking Behaviour: Evidence from India
Authors: Paul Sohini
Published: January 2016

This study examines the role of socio-economic characteristics that influence a battered woman in India to either remain silent or approach someone for help in response to domestic violence. We investigate the influence of socio-economic factors on choosing between formal and informal sources of seeking help. The dataset used for the analysis is a nationally representative, community-based survey database—the National Family Health Survey-3 (NFHS-3). A logistic regression framework was used to analyze the data. The results suggest that education and economic empowerment play a crucial role in deciding whether to seek help to stop domestic violence. Women exposed to violence attempts utilize both formal and informal sources of help; however, informal sources of help are more popular compared with formal sources in India.

JEL: J12
“The Sheikh of Araby Rides a Cadillac”: Popular geoeconomic imaginations, positional anxiety and nouveau riche territories
Authors: Smith Benjamin
Published: January 2016

In 20th century media coverage of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, reporters devoted an inordinately large amount of space to describing (often disapprovingly) how the people of that region utilized Cadillacs. Having been confronted with this puzzle in the archive (i.e. what work was being done by so frequently associating these territories with Cadillacs?), this paper argues that in popular imaginations, change in the world economy—especially the rise of “ nouveau riche territories”—is often understood in terms of personified and objectified dramas of right/wrong, which perform the work of distinction. By drawing on an analysis of newspaper and magazine articles and bringing together consumption, psychoanalytic, and post-colonial literatures, this article makes two contributions to understanding how positional anxieties function transnationally: (1) by arguing that places like the Gulf States can have impacts on geoeconomic imaginations that far outpace their size, because these states and their people are seen to break the constellation of practices associated with having obtained the “good life”, thus creating a boundary between them and “normalcy”; and, (2) by demonstrating that stories of nouveau riche consumption gain force through interaction with psychically charged objects like Cadillacs, through a process called “extimacy”.
Climate Change Imaginaries? Examining Expectation Narratives in Cli-Fi Novels
Authors: Whiteley Andrea , Chiang Angie , Einsiedel Edna
Published: January 2016

A new generation of climate fiction called Cli-fi has emerged in the last decade, marking the strong consensus that has emerged over climate change. Science fiction’s concept of cognitive estrangement that combines a rational imperative to understand while focusing on something different from our everyday world provides one linkage between climate fiction and science fiction. Five novels representing this genre that has substantial connections with science fiction are analyzed, focusing on themes common across these books: their framing of the climate change problem, their representations of science and scientists, their portrayals of economic and environmental challenges, and their scenarios for addressing the climate challenge. The analysis is framed through Taylor’s ideas of the social imaginary and the sociology of expectations, which proposes that expectations are promissory, deterministic, and performative. The novels illustrate in varying ways the problems attending the science-society relationship, the economic imperatives that have driven the characters’ choices, and the contradictory impulses that define our connections with nature. Such representations provide a picture of the challenges that need to be understood, but scenarios that offer possibilities for change are not as fully developed. This suggests that these books may represent a given moment in the longer trajectory of climate fiction while offering the initial building blocks to reconsider our ways of living so that new expectations and imaginaries can be debated and reconceived.
Ischemic penumbra as a trigger for intracranial pressure rise – A potential cause for collateral failure and infarct progression?
Authors: Beard Daniel J , Logan Caitlin L , McLeod Damian D , Hood Rebecca J , Pepperall Debbie , Murtha Lucy A , Spratt Neil J
Published: January 2016

We have recently shown that intracranial pressure (ICP) increases dramatically 24 h after minor intraluminal thread occlusion with reperfusion, independent of edema. Some of the largest ICP rises were observed in rats with the smallest final infarcts. A possible alternate mechanism for this ICP rise is an increase of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume secondary to choroid plexus damage (a known complication of the intraluminal stroke model used). Alternatively, submaximal injury may be needed to induce ICP elevation. Therefore, we aimed to determine (a) if choroid plexus damage contributes to the ICP elevation, (b) if varying the patency of an important internal collateral supply to the middle cerebral artery (MCA), the anterior choroidal artery (AChA), produces different volumes of ischemic penumbra and (c) if presence of ischemic penumbra (submaximal injury) is associated with ICP elevation. We found (a) no association between choroid plexus damage and ICP elevation, (b) animals with a good internal collateral supply through the AChA during MCAo had significantly larger penumbra volumes and (c) ICP elevation at ≈24 h post-stroke only occurred in rats with submaximal injury, shown in two different stroke models. We conclude that active cellular processes within the ischemic penumbra may be required for edema-independent ICP elevation.
Impact of age on cerebrovascular dilation versus reactivity to hypercapnia
Authors: Coverdale Nicole S , Badrov Mark B , Shoemaker J Kevin
Published: January 2016

This study quantified the effect of age on cerebrovascular reactivity and cerebrovascular conductance while accounting for differences in grey matter volume in younger (YA: n = 12; 24 ± 4 years, six females) and older adults (OA: n = 10; 66 ± 7 years; five females). Cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV; transcranial Doppler) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA), MCA cross-sectional area (CSA), intracranial volumes (magnetic resonance imaging), and mean arterial pressure (MAP; Finometer), were measured under normocapnic and hypercapnic (6% carbon dioxide) conditions. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was quantified from CBFV and MCA CSA and normalized to grey matter volume. Grey matter volume was 719 ± 98 mL in YA and 622 ± 50 mL in OA ( P = 0.009). Cerebrovascular reactivity (%ΔCBF/ΔPETCO2) was not different between YA and OA. In contrast, cerebrovascular conductance (CBF/MAP) in response to hypercapnia was reduced in OA ( P = 0.02). Of note, MAP increased more with hypercapnia in OA compared with YA. Therefore, the central hemodynamic response to hypercapnia compensated for a diminished dilatory response downstream from the MCA so that the CBF response to hypercapnia per unit of brain mass was not affected by age. This impairment was not detected by traditional measures of cerebrovascular reactivity.
An Empirical Investigation of the Arts Audience Experience Index
Authors: Tung Au Wing , Ho Glos , Wing Chuen Chan Kenson
Published: January 2016

Radbourne et al. proposed an Arts Audience Experience Index (AAEI) which stipulated that performing arts experiences consist of four components: authenticity, collective engagement, knowledge, and risk. Authenticity is associated with truth and believability of a performance. Collective engagement is an audience’s experience of engagement with performers and other audience members. Knowledge is concerned with understanding of and intellectual stimulation created by a performance. Risk is the extent to which a performance meets one’s expectation, is value for money, and fits with one’s self-image. We administered the AAEI to 465 spectators who attended a drama performance and 126 spectators who attended a musical performance. Supporting Radbourne et al.’s framework, confirmatory factor analysis found that audience members could differentiate among the four components of authenticity, collective engagement, knowledge, and risk along the two facets of importance and satisfaction. Regression analyses also showed that satisfaction with these four components contributes meaningfully to the overall evaluation of the performances, although collective engagement was found to be a relatively weaker predictor.
Hungary: power, punishment and the ‘Christian-national idea’
Authors: Fekete Liz
Published: January 2016

The spectacle of exhausted refugees being tear-gassed and held in metal pens in the summer of 2015 drew international attention to the nature of the Hungarian state. Under prime minister Viktor Orbán, the leader of Fidesz, Hungary’s southern borders have been militarised, the Constitution rewritten, the Constitutional Court weakened, welfare turned to forced workfare. This article examines how, despite being part of the EU, substantive democracy is being undermined in Hungary. Under Orbán’s utilisation of the ’Christian-national idea’, with its anti-Semitic undertones, Christianity is hitched to the nativist cause, rallying popular views against refugees, the Roma and the ‘indolent’ poor.
A Test of an Integrative Model Using Social Factors and Personality Traits: Prediction on the Delinquency of South Korean Youth
Authors: Yun Minwoo , Kim Eunyoung , Park Woong-Sub
Published: January 2016

To more fully comprehend juvenile delinquency, it is necessary to take an integrative approach, with consideration of both personality traits of social risk factors. Many scholars argue the necessity and strength of integrative approach on the ground that juvenile delinquency is an outcome of interplay of individual and social factors. The present study examines the general applicability of an integrative model of personal traits and social risk factors to youth delinquency in the South Korean context. The empirical results show that the delinquency predictors in the current South Korean sample are closely aligned to Loeber and Farrington’s theoretical propositions and that found in Western nations. Perhaps this is because South Korea has undergone rapid Westernization for the last decades. Because the correlates in this sample and Western theoretical propositions and studies overlap, an integrative model of personality trait and social risk factors is indeed generally applicable to South Korea. This finding also depicts the extent of Westernization in the South Korean society at least among adolescents. Limitations of the present study and directions for the future study are discussed.
The 2015 Static-99R: Alternative Recidivism Tables for High-Risk Offenders
Authors: Elwood Richard W. , Kelley Sharon M. , Mundt James C.
Published: January 2016

The Static-99R is an actuarial scale that is commonly used to assess the recidivism risk of male sex offenders. Hanson, Thornton, Helmus, and Babchishin recently revised the Static-99R norms based on revised analyses that excluded the large Bridgewater sample. As a result, the sample size of the high risk/high need (HR/HN) group was reduced substantially, which increased the confidence intervals around the predicted recidivism rates. This study provides alternative 5- and 10-year recidivism rates based on logistic regression analyses of the entire 2009 Static-99R HR/HN group that includes the Bridgewater sample. These rates fit the observed 2009 data well and have smaller confidence intervals. We propose that using alternative sexual recidivism rates from the 2009 HR/HN group is a viable option for assessing sexually violent person (SVP) and other high-risk offenders.
Occupational therapists’ perspectives on using the remotivation process with clients experiencing dementia
Authors: Raber Christine , Purdin Sarah , Hupp Ashley , Stephenson Brian
Published: January 2016

Introduction

This qualitative study systematically examined occupational therapists’ use of a model of human occupation intervention, the Remotivation Process, for individuals with dementia.

Method

An international sample of therapists participated in an on-line survey and in-depth interviews, resulting in 33 respondents and eight participants, respectively. The survey gathered general information regarding therapists’ use of the Remotivation Process with persons experiencing dementia, and was used to recruit interview participants. Interviews were conducted using SKYPE or telephone, and were audio-recorded and transcribed. Descriptive statistics were derived from the survey results, and van Manen’s phenomenological approach was used to describe therapists’ experiences using the intervention.

Results

Use of the Remotivation Process for this population was most common among mid-career therapists, and a majority of respondents had been using the intervention less than two years. Three themes identified from the interviews were: (1) Therapist beliefs: Commitment to the Remotivation process; (2) Does it work? Evaluating success; (3) It's more than me: External factors.

Conclusion

Survey and interview data revealed that use of the Remotivation Process intervention for persons experiencing dementia is fairly complex yet clinically applicable. Therapists’ experiences of using the Remotivation Process underscored the importance of therapist volition and clinical reasoning in achieving desired outcomes.
Development and validity of the Arabic Handwriting Assessment for elementary school students
Authors: Salameh-Matar Abeer , Basal Nasir , Nashef-Tali Baraah , Weintraub Naomi
Published: January 2016

Introduction

Assessing handwriting performance is important for developing effective intervention programmes. We describe the development of the Arabic Handwriting Assessment for elementary school students (A-HAT) and its initial psychometric properties. In its development, the unique characteristic of the Arabic orthography played an important role.

Method

The A-HAT evolved through two stages: constructing the assessment and establishing content validity, and examining its feasibility and initial psychometric properties. The study included 114 normally achieving students in second ( n = 54, Mage = 7.79, SD = 0.31) and fourth grades ( n = 60, Mage = 9.86, SD = 0.40), whose mother tongue was Arabic. Students were administered the A-HAT, including copying a paragraph and writing to dictation tasks, in small groups.

Results

Speed and legibility improved from second to fourth grades, in both the copying and dictation tasks. Girls were found to write more legibly than the boys in the dictation task. Finally, medium to high test–retest and inter-rater reliability were found.

Conclusion

This study emphasises the importance of considering the unique orthography of a language in the development of a handwriting assessment. In addition, the results indicate that the A-HAT is a promising measure that may assist educators and clinicians in assessing the Arabic handwriting performance of students in lower elementary school.
Existential concerns for people with motor neurone disease: Who is listening to their needs, priorities and preferences?
Authors: Harris Denise A
Published: January 2016

People living with motor neurone disease are told at the time of their diagnosis that they have a life-limiting illness, and depending on the type of motor neurone disease diagnosed they may have only months or years to live. The Motor Neurone Disease Association practice guidelines recommend that multidisciplinary health and social care professionals should focus upon psychological, functional and medical management. A referral to the palliative care team is recommended as the disease progresses, if a person experiences a loss of speech or respiratory insufficiency. People living with motor neurone disease have existential concerns from the time of their diagnosis. Valuable opportunities may be lost to discuss and document their needs, priorities and preferences for end-of-life care before a person loses their ability to communicate by any means. Occupational therapists working as a member of a multidisciplinary team have an important role to play in this area of practice, as people newly diagnosed with motor neurone disease are often referred to occupational therapy services because of their loss of function.
Migration and diversity in a post-socialist context: Creating integrative encounters in Poland
Authors: Mayblin Lucy , Valentine Gill , Winiarska Aleksandra
Published: January 2016

This article explores ‘integrative encounters’ between immigrants and Polish people in Warsaw. Rather than focus on new arrivals we pay attention to the integration experiences of the host population in recognition that this is a group who have been relatively neglected in the literature. Post-socialist European countries where population mobility was circumscribed during the communist era and as a consequence became perceived as relatively homogenous white societies but which are now seeing a rise in immigration, have been largely neglected by non-domestic scholars. In Poland organised group activity is an important means to provide the established population with an opportunity to encounter migrants because such encounters are less likely to occur in everyday spaces. Drawing on research with a Warsaw based NGO which runs a football league to bring Polish people and immigrants together, we argue that attention needs to be paid to the issue of ‘motivation' to participate in integration projects and to the significance of sociality. In doing so, we suggest that creating the conditions for spontaneous connections to develop, even in contrived projects, is a way to overcome indifference to difference. Here, we highlight the qualities of football as a bridging activity to facilitate integrative encounters.
The SDGs Will Require Integrated Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health at the Community Level
Authors: Canavan Chelsey R. , Graybill Lauren , Fawzi Wafaie , Kinabo Joyce
Published: January 2016

Child malnutrition is an urgent and complex issue and requires integrated approaches across agriculture, nutrition, and health. This issue has gained prominence at the global level. While national-level efforts are underway in many countries, there is little information on how to integrate at the community level. Here, we offer a community-based approach using cadres of agricultural and community health workers, drawing on qualitative work we have conducted in Tanzania. Agriculture is an important driver of nutritional and health outcomes, and improving child health will require practical solutions for integration that can add to the evidence base.
Dynamic Testing of Analogical Reasoning in 5- to 6-Year-Olds
Authors: Stevenson Claire E. , Heiser Willem J. , Resing Wilma C. M.
Published: January 2016

Multiple-choice (MC) analogy items are often used in cognitive assessment. However, in dynamic testing, where the aim is to provide insight into potential for learning and the learning process, constructed-response (CR) items may be of benefit. This study investigated whether training with CR or MC items leads to differences in the strategy progression and understanding of analogical reasoning in 5- to 6-year-olds ( N = 111). A pretest-training-posttest control group design with randomized blocking was utilized, where two experimental groups were trained according to the graduated prompts method. Results show that both training conditions improved more during dynamic testing compared with untrained controls. As expected, children in the CR condition required more prompting during training and showed different strategy-use patterns compared with the MC group. However, the quality of solution explanations was significantly better for children in the CR condition. It appears that possible performance advantages of training with CR items are most apparent when active processing is required. In the future, we advise including items such as CR or analogy construction in dynamic testing that allow for fine-grained analysis of strategy-use to further discern differences in children’s analogical reasoning understanding.
Do Serially Recorded Prognostic Scores Predict Outcome Better Than One-Time Recorded Score on Admission? A Prospective Study in Adult Intensive Care Patients
Authors: Manerikar Sangeeta , Hariharan Seetharaman
Published: January 2016

Objectives:

The prognosticating ability of one-time recorded Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) IV score was compared with serially recorded Mortality Prediction Model (MPM) II scores.

Design and Methods:

A prospective observational study was conducted for a period of 6 months. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV score was recorded during the first day on intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Mortality Prediction Model II was recorded on admission, 24, 48, and 72 hours. Predicted mortality was compared with observed mortality. The systems were calibrated and tested for discriminant functions.

Results:

One hundred and fifty patients were studied. The observed mortality was 21.3%. The mean predicted hospital mortality by APACHE IV was 20.6%. The mean predicted hospital mortality rate by serial MPM II measurements was 27.7%, 24.3%, 25.5%, and 25.8%. The area under the receiver–operating characteristic curve was 0.87 for APACHE IV and 0.82, 0.84, 0.85, and 0.89 for MPM II series. Both systems calibrated well with similar degree of goodness of fit.

Conclusion:

Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV on admission predicted hospital mortality better than serially recorded MPM, which overestimated mortality. Also, APACHE IV had a slightly better discrimination compared to MPM II on admission. One-time recording of APACHE IV on admission may be sufficient for prognostication of ICU patients rather than serial MPM scores.
Preparation and bioactive properties of nano bioactive glass and segmented polyurethane composites
Authors: Aguilar-Pérez Fernando J , Vargas-Coronado Rossana F , Cervantes-Uc Jose M , Cauich-Rodríguez Juan V , Covarrubias Cristian , Pedram-Yazdani Merhdad
Published: January 2016

Composites of glutamine-based segmented polyurethanes with 5 to 25 wt.% bioactive glass nanoparticles were prepared, characterized, and their mineralization potential was evaluated in simulated body fluid. Biocompatibility with dental pulp stem cells was assessed by MTS to an extended range of compositions (1 to 25 wt.% of bioactive glass nanoparticles). Physicochemical characterization showed that composites retained many of the matrix properties, i.e. those corresponding to semicrystalline elastomeric polymers as they exhibited a glass transition temperature (Tg) between −41 and −36℃ and a melting temperature (Tm) between 46 and 49℃ in agreement with X-ray reflections at 23.6° and 21.3°. However, with bioactive glass nanoparticles addition, tensile strength and strain were reduced from 22.2 to 12.2 MPa and 667.2 to 457.8%, respectively with 25 wt.% of bioactive glass nanoparticles. Although Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy did not show evidence of mineralization after conditioning of these composites in simulated body fluid, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis showed the formation of an apatite layer on the surface which increased with higher bioactive glass concentrations and longer conditioning time. Dental pulp stem cells proliferation at day 5 was improved in bioactive glass nanoparticles composites containing lower amounts of the filler (1–2.5 wt.%) but it was compromised at day 9 in composites containing high contents of nBG (5, 15, 25 wt.%). However, Runx2 gene expression was particularly upregulated for the dental pulp stem cells cultured with composites loaded with 15 and 25 wt.% of bioactive glass nanoparticles. In conclusion, low content bioactive glass nanoparticles and segmented polyurethanes composites deserve further investigation for applications such as guided bone regeneration membranes, where osteoconductivity is desirable but not a demanding mechanical performance.
Cumulative Disadvantage
Authors: Tower Leslie E. , Latimer Melissa
Published: January 2016

Female faculty may experience disproportionate caregiving-type responsibilities in the academy and at home. A web-based survey inquired about the impact of childcare responsibilities on research-related travel. A convenience sample of full-time faculty participated ( n = 127). From the overwhelmingly female faculty respondents (81.3%), results show that childcare issues impact their ability to plan research travel, submit to professional conferences, and travel to give an invited talk. Faculty rank, discipline, and whether their partner was employed at the same university negatively impacted their ability to travel. Work/life travel policies may reduce barriers to travel, hence reducing a type of cumulative disadvantage.
Communism Equals or Versus Nazism?
Authors: Gliszczyńska-Grabias Aleksandra
Published: January 2016

The accession of post-communist states into the Council of Europe system enlarged greatly the territory of effective protection of human rights in Europe and at the same time compelled the European Court of Human Rights to address the current effects of past violations of human rights by communist regimes. It gave the Court an opportunity to establish a legal standard of how to deal with matters such as the public presence of communist symbols and insignia, de-registration of neo-Communist parties, and the relevance of past membership in the Communist parties for an exercise of electoral rights in a newly democratized state. This opportunity was at the same time a challenge, and the Court was less than successful in meeting this challenge, despite the fact that it had already established the relevant legal standards when deciding about the cases triggered by the Nazi past. Without making it explicit, and without articulating openly the relevant differences, the Court has not established any equivalence between legal treatments of the aftermath of the two types of criminal regimes in the European recent past. The article discusses three recent cases belonging to these categories and concludes that there is a clear contrast between the Court’s treatment of “post-ommunist” cases and the same Court’s earlier treatment of equivalent “post-Nazi” cases; the article offers some explanations for the discrepancy which reflects a broader dualism in European collective memory of the past.
The Europeanization of Holocaust Memory and Eastern Europe
Authors: Kucia Marek
Published: January 2016

Drawing upon developments in cultural and social memory studies and Europeanization theory, this article examines the Europeanization of Holocaust memory understood as the process of construction, institutionalization, and diffusion of beliefs regarding the Holocaust and norms and rules regarding Holocaust remembrance and education at a transnational, European level since the 1990s and their incorporation in the countries of post-communist Eastern Europe, which is also the area where the Holocaust largely took place. The article identifies the transnational agents of the Europeanization of Holocaust memory—the European Union’s parliament, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, as well as the United Nations. It analyzes chronologically the key Holocaust-related activities and documents of these agents, highlighting East European countries’ varied and changing position towards them. It examines synchronically the outcome of the Europeanization of Holocaust memory by these transnational agents—a European memory of the Holocaust—identifying its key components, discussing the main aspects, and illustrating the impact of this process and outcome upon the memory of the Holocaust in the East European countries. The article argues that the Europeanization of Holocaust memory has significantly contributed to the development of Holocaust memory in Eastern Europe, although other agents and processes were also involved.
Drawing Lessons from the Past
Authors: Sierp Aline
Published: January 2016

This introductory article to the special section on “Europe’s Changing Lessons from the Past” argues for a close analysis of acts of public remembrance in Central and Eastern European countries in order to uncover the link between the issue of public memory and long-term processes of democratisation. In countries facing a period of transition after the experience of war and dictatorship, the debate over its memory is usually as much a debate about a divisive past as it is about the future. While it is part of a sensitive political scrutiny that is related to different ideas on how to ensure sustainable peace, it also provides the basis for the recreation of a common sense of belonging and identity. The often resulting coexistence of different memory traditions creates two clearly identifiable levels of conflict: one on the national level and one on the supranational one. In mapping change in Central and Eastern Europe, this special section aims at making the connections between the two visible by on the one hand questioning the sociological turn in Memory and EU Studies and on the other, pinpointing the necessity to concentrate on processes and not only on their results.
Institutional layering, displacement, and policy change: The evolution of civic service in Israel
Authors: Bick Etta
Published: January 2016

This study explores the process of endogenous institutional change. It utilizes the concepts policy layering and displacement to explain gradual but yet significant and cumulative institutional change that has taken place in civic national service policy in Israel. Layering was an expedient strategy of change given the highly charged politics surrounding national service and the opposition of ultra-orthodox and Israel’s Arab citizens to any form of service. While the government and administrative agencies were the primary agents of change, we will also take note of the important and contentious role of Israel’s High Court of Justice which served as a catalyst to policy change, compelling the government to end policy drift. However, it is important to note that judicial intervention may also derail gradual reform as will be shown in the Israeli case.
Synthesis of organosoluble and transparent phenolphthalein-based cardo poly(ether sulfone imide)s via aromatic nucleophilic substitution polymerization
Authors: Li Lan , Liu Jiangtao , Chen Guofei , Xu Lubo , Mushtaq Nafeesa , Sidra Lala Rukh , Wang Ruixin , Fang Xingzhong
Published: January 2016

A series of cardo poly(ether sulfone imide)s (PESI-C) containing bulky phthalide groups were prepared via aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction of phenolphthalein with 4,4′-difluorodiphenyl sulfone and 4,4′-bis(4-fluorophthalimido)diphenyl ether (BFPI). The glass transition temperatures and 5% weight loss temperatures in nitrogen of the resulting PESI-C increased from 258°C to 278°C and from 468°C to 495°C with increasing the content of imide moiety in the polymer chain, respectively. These PESI-C films were transparent and essentially colorless and exhibited good mechanical properties with tensile strengths of 91–124 MPa, elongations at break of 6.9–12.8%, and tensile moduli of 2.2–2.8 GPa, respectively. It is noted that the tensile strengths, elongations at break, and tensile moduli of PESI-C also increased with increasing the content of BFPI in the copolymerization, indicating that the properties could be adjusted by controlling the ratio of BFPI and 4,4′-difluorodiphenyl sulfone.
Design and implementation of a non-resonant vibration-assisted machining device to create bespoke surface textures
Authors: Suzuki H , Marshall MB , Sims ND , Dwyer-Joyce RS
Published: January 2016

Non-resonant vibration-assisted machining involves the superposition of controlled vibrations onto traditional machining processes such as turning or milling. In this study, a novel variant of this technique has been investigated using an off-the-shelf piezoelectric actuator to create bespoke surface textures in a conventional milling machine. The purpose of these surfaces is to provide enhanced tribological performance by reserving lubricant, trapping and discharging debris and wear particles, and delaying the collapse of the full hydrodynamic lubricant film. Surface textures consisting of a repeating radial striation pattern of sine waves were reproducibly generated on the face of the disc work piece (an aluminium alloy AlSi1MgMn and a low-alloyed steel 16MnCr5) when the frequency of the superposed vibration was in phase with the rotational speed of the work piece. The texture parameters were controllable from approximately 1 mm to 8 mm in the wavelength and from a few microns to 25 µm in the peak to peak amplitudes which would reasonably cover the range of hydrodynamic lubrication film thickness.