bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trading on gender: the perversity of Asian labour exports as an economic development strategy
Authors: Stuart Rosewarne
Published: December 2015

The Philippines, Sri Lanka and Indonesia have promoted female labour migration as a strategy for generating export revenue in the form of income remittances in order to relieve external balance problems and as a source of investment funds. This strategy has relied largely on these countries' exploitation of their comparative advantage in the supply of workers for low-paid service sector work, and especially domestic work, on limited-term work permits and on conditions of employment that leave women vulnerable to a range of abuses. Labour market disadvantage has become institutionalised in this global labour market and, while there has been substantial growth in its scale, the evidence that labour exports provide the basis for delivering and maintaining economic benefits for individuals or the broader economy is questionable.
‘Even though I work, I am not a whore’: women working in Zanzibar
Authors: Thembi Mutch
Published: December 2015

This paper examines the different perceptions of work for women in Zanzibar. Life in Zanzibar is dominated by highly gendered geo-spatial constructs, inextricably linked to private and public space. There are complex and layered perceptions about what is appropriate behaviour for women in public and private, thus work — particular work in the public space — is problematic for them. The central hypothesis is that for working women there is a fundamental tension between old and new: between traditional ideas of appropriate behaviour, and notions of modernity; and between what is situated and constructed (locally) as a traditional Zanzibar (‘Islamic’) idea of womanhood, and the actual performativity of this, which involves an engagement with modernity. The paper explores the influence of what can loosely be called ‘modernity’, and traditional ideas of selfhood. This is set against the backdrop of a society dominated by notions of ‘umma’ (‘community’ and ‘not standing out’), corruption — on a micro and macro level, and the role of gossip in maintaining the status quo and ‘the order of things.’ Part of the ‘modernity project’ includes the informalisation of roles (for example as worker and mother), the changing uses and definitions of what is ‘public’ and the increasingly fluid definitions of ideas about what constitutes new and old that impinge on this. The paper discusses how women often decide to work ‘illegally’ or as an extension of their domestic life (by making food, or running hair salons in their homes, or offering massage) to circumvent the public attention, of work and to disengage with the criticism they face operating in the public space. Whilst a few unusual women work in the public space, and in the public sphere, for all women in Zanzibar, working, whether in public or in private, is a heavily meaning-laden activity; and a problematic site of challenging decisions and re-visioning themselves.
Is a widening gender wage gap necessarily caused by a glass ceiling? a case study from Uganda
Authors: Irene van Staveren
Published: December 2015

Contrary to what is generally assumed, the gender wage gap and the glass ceiling may not necessarily be positively related. An exploratory analysis of aggregate public service personnel data for Uganda shows that the gender wage gap is small at the middle level of management, whereas it is twice as high at the top. At the same time, the share of women in top positions appears to be twice as high as at the middle ranks. Hence, it seems that in the context of a very patriarchal culture, women ‘have to pay’ for being promoted to the top rather than that there is a linearly thickening glass ceiling that would drive a widening gender wage gap. The exploratory data analysis suggests that the glass ceiling effect may have an equally vicious partner in the shape of a glass ceiling trade-off.
Gender, globalisation and empowerment: a study of women who work in Sri Lanka's Export Processing Zones
Authors: Peter Hancock  , Sharon Middleton  , Jamie Moore
Published: December 2015

This paper provides new insights into the ways in which women experience formal employment as a result of working in export-oriented factories in a ‘developing’ nation. It is based on research that was funded by AusAID's Australian Development Research Award and conducted by investigators from Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia and the Centre for Research on Women (CENWOR) in Sri Lanka. Between 2008 and 2011, 2,304 women who worked in factories in Sri Lanka's Export Processing Zones were surveyed. The focus of the study was on gender empowerment and the aim was to collect empirical information on the lived experiences of these women factory workers vis-a-vis gender empowerment. According to neoliberal thinking, such women in a developing country, receiving a regular salary, should be at the forefront of international development and hence the most likely to be empowered. The paper concludes that the evidence is contradictory: these women were simultaneously both empowered and disempowered by the experience of formal employment.
Bridges and barriers: globalisation and the mobility of work and workers
Authors: Ursula Huws
Published: December 2015

This article starts by discussing the global division of labour. To what extent can its spatial patterns be explained by simple economic logic and to what extent is it shaped by specific features of national and local environments and corporate strategies? What factors enable restructuring, and what are the barriers to the mobility both of capital and of labour? It then introduces the articles in this issue, which display the complexity of global value chain restructuring and the ways in which it differs from popular stereotypes, as well as the common patterns that emerge. They show that restructuring is generally an incremental process, rather than a one-off change, involving mutual adaptation and accommodation to local institutional and labour market contexts. These articles do not just explore the degree to which workers consent, or resist, these changes but also look at the impacts of these decisions on the subsequent careers of those who are drawn into new positions in the global division of labour and those who are left behind.
Consent and content: effects of value chain restructuring on work and conflict in highly skilled workforces
Authors: Pamela Meil
Published: December 2015

Examinations of the effects of globally distributed work and the creation of new international divisions of labour often focus on quantifiable or structural issues such as challenges to the employment relationship, formal working conditions, contracts, working time, or wage regulation. However, the content of work, however, may also be affected by the restructuring of value chains; but this is difficult to track and to regulate, and may have both objective and subjective dimensions. This paper addresses these issues, drawing on 58 case studies of four different economic sectors in 13 European countries as well an international study on multinational strategies of outsourcing and offshoring to India and China. It analyses the processes leading to segmentation and fragmentation and looks at how employees' consent is obtained for these changes and explanations for the extent to which workers accept the changes brought about by value chain restructuring or find ways to resist them.
The international division of labour, local resources and engineering workers: Eastern Europe in the global networks of the semiconductor Industry
Authors: Peter Pawlicki
Published: December 2015

The decades-long internationalisation of the semiconductor industry has been characterised by dynamics that do not easily fit into logics of centrality and peripherality, pointing to the fact that complementary divisions of labour are not the end of the process but mark its beginning. This article revolves around two case studies of design centres in Eastern Europe, focusing on the work of engineers as well as the upgrading of processes at the design centre level. This locally-centred and historical perspective makes it possible to depict internationalisation and integration into the global design networks of the semiconductor industry as a complex dialectical interaction between the global and the local.
Workers, New Orleans, and the global shipbuilding regime
Authors: Aaron Schneider
Published: December 2015

This article focuses on what happens to local labour markets when global employers relocate, using the example of Avondale shipyard at the edge of New Orleans, which provides almost 5,000 good jobs but is currently threatened with shutdown. Drawing on surveys, focus groups, and interviews with Avondale workers conducted during the last six months of 2011, it demonstrates the high levels of human and social capital accumulated by Avondale workers and their resulting contribution to the civic life of their communities and argues that the loss of these shipyard jobs will have broad ramifications for the wider New Orleans community. It concludes that the breakdown of the workplace-based organisations of these workers will lead to a loss of civic engagement that threatens the basis of democracy as traditionally conceived in the USA. Further, it explores the nature of the global shipbuilding regime, and sketches an out an alternative vision for the future of the yard, based on mobilising the skills and social capital of the existing workforce.
Globalisation as a driver of employment precariousness? the labour market status of UK auto workers four years after plant closure
Authors: David Bailey  , Alex De Ruyter
Published: December 2015

In a context of globalisation and structural change, manufacturing workers in developed countries have been vulnerable to plant closure. This article presents the findings of a longitudinal survey examining the labour market status of ex-auto workers, formerly employed by MG Rover, four years after plant closure. In particular, issues of employment precariousness in terms of employment destinations are considered. The findings suggest that a majority of workers had found employment by April 2008. However, the subsequent experience of economic downturn had left most facing a fragile future on the labour market, suggesting a need for policy measures that go beyond reliance on a flexible labour market to address the inequities faced by workers in such situations.
Skills that are valued in the knowledge economy: an examination of the experience of French workers in the 2000s
Authors: Fabienne Berton
Published: December 2015

An examination of the professional careers of French workers during the 2000s, shows that some workers gave themselves wholeheartedly to the knowledge economy, some attempted to withdraw from it and others were clearly excluded from it. The first group demonstrated an ability to handle complex employment relationships, to show substantial flexibility in their hours and place of work, and to maintain a professional network and up-to-the-minute personal communications technology, whereas the other two groups either did not possess these aptitudes or did not wish to acquire them. Those who decided to opt out of the knowledge economy mainly did so because they were disinclined or because they were reluctant to adapt to the requirements of a large organisation undergoing restructuring. A move towards the care sector via professional reconversion highlighted their awareness of interpersonal relations and human wellbeing. Those who found themselves frozen out of the knowledge economy were recognisable by their isolation, their inability to retain professional networks and the difficulties they encountered in envisaging the next step in their careers.
Towards a taxonomy of virtual work
Authors: Kaire Holts
Published: December 2015

Whether they are used for real-money trading in massive multiplayer online role-playing games, on-line content production, working through crowdsourcing Internet marketplaces, modding, online gambling, playing human-based computation games, or just browsing, sharing files, and connecting with friends, online spaces have produced a wide range of new forms of activity. A growing number of scholars now refer to these as ‘new labour activities’, ‘virtual work’ or ‘digital labour’ or describe them as new sources of value creation for capital. Alongside these developments, new terms are emerging to describe the virtual workforce of which ‘gold farmer’, ‘prosumer’, ‘Turker’ or ‘microworker’ are only a few examples. Despite these new terms and categories, a coherent conceptual framework and understanding of what constitutes virtual work in more general terms is still lacking. No clear classification of this type of work yet exists, nor is there a clear distinction between it and the work that takes place in the ‘real world’. This paper explores the obstacles that prevent the construction of such a classification and creating a clear definition and taxonomy of virtual work.
Distance learning and the transformation of working conditions in teaching: ICTs and the commodification of education in Brazil
Authors: Simone Wolff  , Sergio Antunes de Almeida
Published: December 2015

As capital transforms education into one more site of investment and accumulation, it has been attempting to introduce into the teaching-learning process methods of work management that combine the Japanese Toyotist philosophy of participative management with Taylorist practices of work organisation. This paper draws on research conducted at a Brazilian private institution providing digitally-supported distance learning to show the connection between capital and labour in this process. It examines how the reification of the teacher contributes to the commodification of education. Teaching is just one example of a sphere in which creative labour is being commodified. These methods thus have parallels in other sectors, and the paper concludes that there is a need for further research into other activities in which capital is attached to creative work in order to generate value, Such research could contribute to a better general understanding of the capital-information process.
‘A science to it’: flexible time and flexible subjectivity in the digital workplace
Authors: Frederick Pitts
Published: December 2015

This paper details a research project exploring how working time is structured in the digital industries in the UK, drawing on a case study of a Bristol web enterprise situated in the 'Silicon Gorge’ high-tech hub, and incorporating ethnography, interviews, observation and time diaries. The role of the Internet in blurring the demarcation between paid and unpaid labour features prominently in the work patterns of the research participants. The culture of flexibility that abounds in the case study company harnesses the subjectivities and selves of individual employees to a cycle of ‘project time’ centred around specific tasks and deadlines, completely divorced from recognition of an individual's contribution based on traditional temporal measures.
Theories of immaterial labour: a critical reflection based on Marx
Authors: Henrique Amorim
Published: December 2015

Proponents of the notion of a ‘knowledge economy’ argue that immaterial labour is the main productive force in contemporary society. This article takes issue with this view. It critically assesses the concepts of labour, value and class that underlying these arguments and seeks to find alternatives to them. It then goes on to propose an alternative interpretation that, in the author's view, is more closely aligned to the general principles of Marxist theory. It concludes that the ‘knowledge economy’ theorists demonstrate an analytical reductionism: by limiting the definition of ‘labour’ to physical industrial labour performed in a factory, by reducing the concept of ‘value’ to an arithmetically measurable expression of exploitation in the manufacture of goods, and by restricting the concept of ‘working class’ or ‘proletariat’ to the position of the manual labourer. It concludes that the thesis which presents immaterial labour as a new productive force and announces the end of labour, value and the working class ignores the realities of the processes of labour precarisation currently taking place around the globe.
Sediment-Hosted Kaolin Deposit from Çakmaktepe (Uşak, Turkey): its Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and Genesis
Authors: Yildiz A. , Başaran C.
Published: December 2015

Because of their geochemical properties, the Çakmaktepe (Uşak) kaolin deposits have been considered as primary. New sedimentological, mineralogical, and geochemical data suggest that the Çakmaktepe kaolins are secondary deposits of sedimentary processes after hydrothermal alteration of the source rocks. The kaolins in the Çakmaktepe deposit were formed from the hydrothermal alteration of calcalkaline Karaboldere volcanics (KBV). The kaolinized materials were then reworked and accumulated in a lacustrine basin. The argillic alteration zones were associated with faults, and lateral zonation of minerals was observed in the KBV. Smectite was the major phyllosilicate in the ‘outer zone’. The alteration mineralogy of the ‘inner zone’ was similar to that of the Çakmaktepe kaolins and consisted mainly of kaolinite with minor amounts of smectite and alunite. The trace-element abundances in the kaolinized volcanics and the Çakmaktepe kaolins indicated hypogene conditions. The δ18O values of the Çakmaktepe kaolins ranged from 0.2 to 5.92%, which indicated that the Çakmaktepe kaolinites were formed at temperatures between 92 and 156°C, and the δD values ranged from −91.68 to −109.45‰. The irregular edge-to-face morphology, the variation in grain-size, a few broken crystals of kaolinite, the deficiency of dissolution-replacement and crystallization mechanisms, and the the low sphericity, very angular, and poorly sorted quartz crystals in the kaolins all result from transport processes. The sedimentary structures, including trough cross-lamination, tool marks, and load casts, indicate transportation by turbulent waters and deposition of kaolin layers in a shallow lake.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Pyrophyllite Edge Surfaces: Structure, Surface Energies, and Solvent Accessibility
Authors: Newton Aric G. , Sposito Garrison
Published: December 2015

Atomistic simulations of 2:1 clay minerals based on parameterized forcefields have been applied successfully to provide a detailed description of the interfacial structure and dynamics of basal planes and interlayers, but have made limited progress in exploring the edge surfaces of these ubiquitous layer-type aluminosilicates. In the present study, molecular dynamics simulations and energy-minimization calculations of the edge surfaces using the fully flexible CLAYFF forcefield are reported. Pyrophyllite provides an ideal prototype for the 2:1 clay-mineral edge surface because it possesses no structural charge, thus rendering the basal planes inert, while crystal-growth theory can be applied to identify two major candidates for the structure of the edge surfaces. Models based on these candidate structures reproduced bulk crystal bond distances accurately when compared to X-ray data and ab initio molecular simulations, and the predicted edge surface bond distances were in agreement with those determined via ab initio simulation. The calculated surface free energy and surface stress led to an accurate prediction of pyrophyllite nanoparticle morphology, while surface excess energies calculated for the edge surfaces were always negative. These results are consistent with the observed pyrophyllite nanoparticle morphology, with the concept of negative interfacial energies, and conditions that may give rise to them including a role in the stabilization of layer-type nanoparticulate minerals. Molecular dynamics simulations of hydrated nanoparticle edge surfaces indicated five reactive surface oxygen sites on the dominant candidate edge, in agreement with a recent model of proton titration data for 2:1 clay minerals. These promising results illustrate the potential for classical mechanical atomistic simulations that explore edge surface phenomena at much greater length- and times-scales than are currently possible with computationally expensive ab initio methods.
Influence of Grinding and Sonication on the Crystal Structure of Talc
Authors: Čavajda Vladimír , Uhlík Peter , Derkowski Arkadiusz , Čaplovičova Mária , Madejová Jana , Mikula Milan , Ifka Tomáš
Published: December 2015

Talc is an important industrial mineral with a broad range of applications. Particle size and crystal structure have a significant influence on the potential uses. The present study examined the influence of grinding and ultrasound treatment on talc from a new deposit, Gemerská Poloma, in Slovakia. The general knowledge that grinding produces progressive structural disorder leading to amorphization, whereas sonication has a negligible effect on the talc crystal structure, was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Partial reduction of particle size along with delamination was observed by XRD after sonication, low-angle laser light scattering (LALLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and TEM. The specific surface area (SSA) increased slightly after prolonged sonication, but grinding initially caused a rapid increase in SSA followed by a drastic decrease after prolonged grinding time of up to 120 min which was attributed to the aggregation of amorphized talc. Sonication and grinding had different influences on the thermal behavior of the talc studied. Sonication decreased slightly the dehydroxylation temperature, whereas grinding added a significant mass loss at low temperature, arising from the dehydration of hydrated Mg cations released from the talc structure during amorphization. The initial high whiteness value of talc decreased slightly after grinding or sonication. Thermogravimetry was suggested as a useful tool to track and predict changes in the talc structure upon sonication and grinding.
Clay-Polymer Nanocomposite-Supported Brominating Agent
Authors: El-Hamshary Hany , Selim Adel I. , Salahuddin Nehal A. , Mandour Hamada S.
Published: December 2015

The conventional methods of direct bromination of organic compounds with elemental bromine have several major drawbacks such as handling difficulty, corrosive effect, and toxicity, in addition to over-bromination and problems with isolation of products from the reaction mixture. Supported catalysts and reagents have become popular in the synthesis of organic chemicals over recent decades because they have overcome almost all of the drawbacks noted above. In the present study, a new clay polymer nanocomposite (CPN)-supported brominating agent was prepared from montmorillonite (Mnt) and styrene-co-vinyl pyridinium polymer. The reagent was obtained by the direct interaction of a two-fold excess of poly(styrene-co-N-methyl-4-vinylpyridinium) bromide with Na-montmorillonite (NaMnt) through ion exchange between Na+ of the NaMnt and pyridinium ions in the copolymer to provide CPN3 with free methylpyridinium bromide side chains. The structure of the CPN3 prepared was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Treatment of the CPN3 with bromine using the bromide ions which remained led to the perbromide-supported reagent, CPN4. The activity of the resulting CPN4 brominating reagent was examined through direct bromination of some alkenes, arenes, and carbonyl compounds and compared with the effectiveness of a crosslinked polymeric perbromide reagent. The yields obtained from application of the reagent were moderate to excellent. The advantages of this reagent, such as stability at room temperature, ease of regeneration from the polymeric by-product, and the yields of the brominated products, confirm the viability of using a CPN-supported brominating agent as a reactive reagent in organic chemistry synthesis.
Impact of the Protection and Advocacy Subscale on the Factorial Validity of the Supports Intensity Scale–Adult Version
Authors: Shogren Karrie A. , Seo Hyojeong , Wehmeyer Michael L. , Thompson James R. , Little Todd D.
Published: December 2015

The Supports Intensity Scale–Adult Version is a standardized assessment of support needs. This study examined the factorial validity of the standardized portion of the scale, finding that the six-factor model (Home Living, Community Living, Lifelong Learning, Employment, Health and Safety, Social Activities) demonstrated good fit, and that the inclusion of the Protection and Advocacy Scale did not affect fit and contributed unique information. Age and gender impacted intensity of support needs, with those of transition age and in late adulthood having the highest intensities. Gender also impacted support needs, but in fewer instances. Implications for future research are discussed.
Dominance Weighted Social Choice Functions for Group Recommendations
Authors: Rossi Silvia , Barile Francesco , Caso Antonio
Published: December 2015

In travel domains, decision support systems provide support to tourists in the planning of their vacation. In particular, when the number of possible Points of Interest (POI) to visit is large, the system should help tourists providing recommendations on the POI that could be more interesting for them. Since traveling is, usually, an activity that involves small groups of people, the system should take simultaneously into account the preferences of each group's member. At the same time, it also should model possible intra-group relationships, which can have an impact in the group decision-making process. In this paper, we model this problem as a multi-agent aggregation of preferences by using weighted social choice functions, whereas such weights are automatically evaluated by analyzing the interactions of the group's members on Online Social Networks.
Multi-agent system for Knowledge-based recommendation of Learning Objects
Authors: Rodríguez Marín Paula Andrea , Duque Néstor , Ovalle Demetrio
Published: December 2015

Learning Object (LO) is a content unit being used within virtual learning environments, which -once found and retrieved- may assist students in the teaching - learning process. Such LO search and retrieval are recently supported and enhanced by data mining techniques. In this sense, clustering can be used to find groups holding similar LOs so that from obtained groups, knowledge-based recommender systems (KRS) can recommend more adapted and relevant LOs. In particular, prior knowledge come from LOs previously selected, liked and ranked by the student to whom the recommendation will be performed. In this paper, we present a KRS for LOs, which uses a conventional clustering technique, namely K-means, aimed at finding similar LOs and delivering resources adapted to a specific student. Obtained promising results show that proposed KRS is able to both retrieve relevant LO and improve the recommendation precision.Learning Object (LO) is a content unit being used within virtual learning environments, which -once found and retrieved- may assist students in the teaching - learning process. Such LO search and retrieval are recently supported and enhanced by data mining techniques. In this sense, clustering can be used to find groups holding similar LOs so that from obtained groups, knowledge-based recommender systems (KRS) can recommend more adapted and relevant LOs. In particular, prior knowledge come from LOs previously selected, liked and ranked by the student to whom the recommendation will be performed. In this paper, we present a KRS for LOs, which uses a conventional clustering technique, namely K-means, aimed at finding similar LOs and delivering resources adapted to a specific student. Obtained promising results show that proposed KRS is able to both retrieve relevant LO and improve the recommendation precision.
A Semantic Social Recommender System Using Ontologies Based Approach For Tunisian Tourism
Authors: Frikha Mohamed , Mhiri Mohamed , Gargouri Faiez
Published: December 2015

Tunisia is well placed in terms of medical tourism and has highly qualified and specialized medical and surgical teams. Integrating social networks in Tunisian medical tourism recommender systems can result in much more accurate recommendations. That is to say, information, interests, and recommendations retrieved from social networks can improve the prediction accuracy. This paper aims to improve traditional recommender systems by incorporating information in social network; including user preferences and influences from social friends. Accordingly, a user interest ontology is developed to make personalized recommendations out of such information. In this paper, we present a semantic social recommender system employing a user interest ontology and a Tunisian Medical Tourism ontology. Our system can improve the quality of recommendation for Tunisian tourism domain. Finally, our social recommendation algorithm is implemented in order to be used in a Tunisia tourism Website to assist users interested in visiting Tunisia for medical purposes.
Análise da eficiência ferroviária no Brasil nos anos entre 2009 a 2013
Authors: Pereira Milena Araujo , Rosa Fabricia Silva da , Lunkes Rogério João
Published: December 2015

Diante da internacionalização do comércio, apenas mercados com estruturas de transporte eficientes conseguem competir globalmente e, as ferrovias são um elo importante desta cadeia. Neste contexto, o objetivo geral da pesquisa consiste em analisar a eficiência das empresas concessionárias da malha ferroviária brasileira, no período de 2009 a 2013. Esta pesquisa classifica-se como descritiva, com abordagem quali e quantitativa e conduzida por meio de um estudo documental com dados secundários. Utiliza-se do instrumento de análise estatística Data Envelopment Analvsis – DEA com o intuito de verificar a eficiência de, onze empresas ferroviárias brasileiras. Nesta análise são utilizadas as seguintes variáveis de inputs: área de concessão, número de empregados, gastos com pessoal, gastos com depreciação, outros gastos e total de gastos, bem como a receita líquida é utilizada como output. Os resultados da pesquisa mostram que para o período analisado os níveis de eficiência variam, destacando-se a ALLMN, MRS, EFPO e FNS.
Definição da matriz de compatibilidade entre pares de aeroportos para o transporte de órgãos
Authors: Carrara Bruno Athayde , Ribeiro Glaydston Mattos , Leal Jr Ilton Curty , Cascardo Leonardo Macedo Rodrigues , Heinzen Evelyn
Published: December 2015

Problemas logísticos são responsáveis por parte da não efetivação de doações de órgãos no Brasil. Uma das causas desses problemas é falta de ferramentas que auxiliem na tomada de decisão para escolha de voos para o transporte dos órgãos dentro de um período adequado. Assim, o objetivo desse artigo é apresentar e aplicar um modelo matemático, baseado no problema do caminho mínimo, para análise da compatibilidade entre pares de aeroportos de origem e destino, para transporte de órgãos para transplante pelo modo aéreo, utilizando voos de empresas aéreas regulares em território brasileiro. Após pesquisa bibliográfica e realização de entrevistas com responsáveis da Central Nacional de Transplantes desenvolveu-se o modelo matemático com aplicação em vinte e cinco casos reais. Consideraram-se trinta e dois dos principais aeroportos brasileiros para os quais se estabeleceu uma matriz origem-destino e os pares de compatibilidade para o transporte de órgãos para transplante. Verificou-se que em 52% dos casos o órgão foi transportado para o primeiro receptor da lista de espera. Acredita-se que a decisão de enviar o órgão para receptores que não sejam os primeiros da lista poderia estar relacionada, também, à falta de uma ferramenta de suporte para identificação de possibilidade de ligações entre origens e destinos, o que poderia ser evitado caso houvesse disponibilidade da matriz de compatibilidade proposta. 
Simulação numérica do fluxo d’água em pavimentos asfálticos compostos por misturas asfálticas com diferentes coeficientes de permeabilidade
Authors: Ferreira Wellington Lorran Gaia , Castelo Branco Verônica Teixeira Franco , Da silva Filho Francisco Chagas
Published: December 2015

A água pode atingir o pavimento de diversas formas, como por precipitação ou ascensão capilar. O efeito deletério da água é um dos principais fatores responsáveis pelo desgaste de pavimentos asfálticos. Um parâmetro para examinar a qualidade do pavimento com relação ao escoamento de água é a permeabilidade dos materiais que compõem as diversas camadas da estrutura. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o padrão de fluxo d’água em pavimentos asfálticos compostos por misturas asfálticas com diferentes coeficientes de permeabilidade (k). Para isso, foi utilizado um programa baseado no método dos elementos finitos (MEF) para modelar o fluxo d’água em um perfil hipotético de um sistema em camadas. No total, foram analisadas seis misturas asfálticas com diferentes percentuais de Volume de vazios (Vv): quatro com granulometria densa, sendo duas do tipo Areia Asfáltica - AA (7% e 9% de Vv) e duas do tipo Concreto Asfáltico - CA (4% e 7% de Vv), e duas com granulometria aberta do tipo Camada Porosa de Atrito - CPA (20% e 23% de Vv). Os resultados demostram que o padrão de fluxo depende não somente da permeabilidade média do material, mas também da forma como a permeabilidade está distribuída na camada de revestimento. 
Are there sex differences in the body size of the Eurasian red squirrel in Slovakia?
Authors: Čanády Alexander , Mošanský Ladislav , Krišovský Peter
Published: December 2015

Sexual dimorphism of the Eurasian red squirrel on five somatic variables (head-and-body length, tail length, hind
foot length, ear length and body weight) was evaluated on 55 squirrels. The overlap of values of the measured
traits among sexes was high, but in all traits (with exception of the tail length) males seem to exhibit slightly
higher mean values than females. However, these differences were non-significant, with the exception of a small
significant difference in the tail length and tail-to-head-and-body ratio. Similarly, the results of discriminant function
analysis show no differences between the sexes. Positive correlation analyses, together with PCA values,
confirmed that tail length and hind foot length are traits that play a significant role in overall variability. We
suggest that this relationship could explain their mutual importance in locomotion, where the feet are essential
for movement in the trees. By contrast, the tail maintains balance on thin branches, or during jumps from one
crown to another. Longer tails also demonstrate differential selection on males and females for a locomotor
trait. Similarly, we discuss whether variations in tail length were connected to female reproductive success. Our
results suggest that the non-significant results regarding SSD provide the benefit of the same size for both sexes
in the protection of territory as well as inter- and intra-sexual interaction.
What are the important landscape components for habitat selection of the ortolan bunting Emberiza hortulana in northern limit of range?
Authors: Elts Jaanus , Tätte Kunter , Marja Riho
Published: December 2015

Ortolan buntings Emberiza hotulana have undergone one of the most severe population declines of any European farmland bird over the last thirty years. The aim of this study was to find out which habitat features, including crop characteristics, ortolan bunting prefers in Estonia in breeding areas. This study compared currently occupied and unoccupied ortolan bunting territories. Occupied areas contained significantly more tall broadleaf trees, crop types, structural elements (trees, bushes, roads, overhead power lines and buildings) and spring wheat, but also had lower crop drilling densities. Ortolan bunting territories were best described by a logistic regression model containing six variables: amount of structural point elements, length of power lines, amount of tall broadleaf trees and number of different crops had a positive effect, whereas crop density and area of autumn-sown crops had a negative effect. Based on the findings of this study, the following conservation measures can be recommended: lower crop densities; spring rather than autumn-sown crops; small-field systems containing a variety of crops; scattered scrub preserved or planted; habitat patches of permanent grasslands, hedges and tall broadleaf trees retained within the agricultural landscape.
Females prefer extra-pair males that are older and better hunters
Authors: Hromada Martin , Antczak Marcin , Tryjanowski Piotr
Published: December 2015

Age of male is an important cue in mate selection, including extra-pair copulations; different phenotypic and behavioural traits are known to be age related. Paternity studies show that older males predominate as fathers of extra-pair young. It remains unclear if females actively choose older males because they possess high quality traits or because older males are more successful in coercing fertile females. We experimentally provided mounted males of different age (yearling vs. adult) of great grey shrike Lanius excubitor with nuptial gifts of different quality (vole vs. cricket) and observed reactions of females and their social partners. Females strongly preferred older males with energy-rich nuptial gifts. The reactions of females’ social partner to the extra-pair male did not differ significantly amongst experimental groups. However, males responded to the reaction of their mates and male aggressive behaviour increased when their mate showed an interest in an intruder.
Estimation of biomass density and carbon storage in the forests of Andhra Pradesh, India, with emphasis on their deforestation and degradation conditions
Authors: Prasad P. Rama Chandra , Lakshmi P. Mamtha
Published: December 2015

The current study evaluates the growing stock, biomass and carbon content of Andhra Pradesh state’s forest (India) along with its current status of forest degradation and loss. For this purpose, the study used the growing stock data collected by state forest department in 2010 for the calculation of biomass and carbon storage using the standard conversion and expansion factors given by IPCC. The analysis shows low biomass and carbon values for the state’s forest in comparison to the mean values recorded in different studies made for Andhra Pradesh. It is also observed to be lower when compared with the average carbon and biomass for Indian forests. Overall, the analysis showed degradation and loss of forest in the state, coupled with reduction in biomass and carbon sink.
Dancing with a Ghost
Authors: Jeung Russell
Published: December 2015

An experience with a young Cambodian neighbor in Oakland whom relatives believed to be possessed by a ghost leads the author to reflect on his evangelical Christian ministry in the community. This piece discusses tutoring students in the Oak Park neighborhood of Oakland, the role of PTSD in refugee communities, and the author’s identity as both a fifth-generation California and a Hakka—a member of a landless Chinese underclass.
Our Lady of La Vang
Authors: Ninh Thien-Huong T.
Published: December 2015

In 1998, on the 200th anniversary of her first apparition, the image of the Virgin Mary, which had appeared to a group of martyrs in La Vang, Vietnam (and was known as Our Lady of La Vang), was transformed from a European woman into a Vietnamese woman. The change was initiated by Vietnamese Catholics in southern California, who then exported the Vietnamized image to Catholic communities in Vietnam and other parts of the world. Today, the image of Our Lady of La Vang has become a global representation of the Virgin Mary as an Asian woman
“The Music Has Something to Say”: The Musical Revisions of L'Atalante (1934)
Authors: Lewis Hannah
Published: December 2015

L'Atalante (1934), the second collaboration between experimental French filmmaker Jean Vigo and composer Maurice Jaubert, has become a staple in the cinephile canon. But its profound influence on postwar filmmakers could not have been anticipated at the time of its disastrous initial release. As Vigo lay on his deathbed, the film's producers, finding L'Atalante narratively incoherent, attempted to make it more broadly accessible, replacing parts of Jaubert's score with the popular song “Le chaland qui passe” and renaming the film after the hit tune. These changes subtly altered an important narrative subtext of the film—a reflexive fixation on the recent arrival of synchronized sound film, expressed through a focus on musical playback technologies (phonographs, radios, and music boxes) and their ability to captivate. In this article, through a comparative analysis of scenes from L'Atalante (which has subsequently been restored) and Le chaland qui passe (the only surviving copy of which is housed at the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique), I show how the differences between the two versions reflect a general anxiety over the arrival of sound film in France. Vigo's fascination with mediated music and its ability to create a magical cinematic world, and the distributors' attempt to fit the film's music into a commercially successful paradigm, reflect contemporary concerns about the potential impact of mediated sound on French cinema. Through my analysis, I demonstrate how film practitioners grappled with technological changes, using music as a powerful interventional force.
Assessment Of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function By Doppler Echocardiography
Authors: Henein Michael Y ,   Departments of Public Health and Clinical Medicine and Surgery and Perioperative Sciences, Umea University, Umea, Sweden,   Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, UK, Lindqvist Per ,   Departments of Public Health and Clinical Medicine and Surgery and Perioperative Sciences, Umea University, Umea, Sweden
Published: December 2015

Diastole is an essential part of the cardiac cycle, during which significant changes in myocardial function, ion and energy transfer, as well as coronary flow, occur. In contrast to systole, diastole consists of four phases, each of which has its distinguishing function and events. However, the four phases are inter-related with events in early diastole correlating with those in late diastole and those occurring during the isovolumic relaxation time predicting both. The complexity of diastolic phases is reflected in the ways by which diastolic function is assessed. While intra-cardiac flow velocities, into and out of the atria, are measured by pulsed-wave Doppler, those of wall motion are assessed by M-mode, myocardial Doppler velocities or, recently, speckle tracking technique. Optimum integration of various aspects of diastolic function should always be considered in order to obtain an accurate comprehensive assessment, bearing in mind factors that normally affect it, for example age.
Calcific Aortic Valve Disease: Molecular Mechanisms And Therapeutic Approaches
Authors: Lerman Daniel Alejandro ,   Royal Infirmary Hospital of Edinburgh (NHS Lothian), The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Prasad Sai ,   Royal Infirmary Hospital of Edinburgh (NHS Lothian), The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Alotti Nasri ,   Zala County Hospital, Pécs University, Hungary
Published: December 2015

Calcification occurs in atherosclerotic vascular lesions and in the aortic valve. Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a slow, progressive disorder that ranges from mild valve thickening without obstruction of blood flow, termed aortic sclerosis, to severe calcification with impaired leaflet motion, termed aortic stenosis. In the past, this process was thought to be ‘degenerative’ because of time-dependent wear and tear of the leaflets, with passive calcium deposition. The presence of osteoblasts in atherosclerotic vascular lesions and in CAVD implies that calcification is an active, regulated process akin to atherosclerosis, with lipoprotein deposition and chronic inflammation. If calcification is active, via pro-osteogenic pathways, one might expect that development and progression of calcification could be inhibited. The overlap in the clinical factors associated with calcific valve disease and atherosclerosis provides further support for a shared disease mechanism. In our recent research we used an in vitro porcine valve interstitial cell model to study spontaneous calcification and potential promoters and inhibitors. Using this model, we found that denosumab, a human monoclonal antibody targeting the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand may, at a working concentration of 50 μg/mL, inhibit induced calcium deposition to basal levels.
The Syndrome Of Inter-Atrial Conduction Block
Authors: Batchvarov Velislav N ,   St George’s University of London, London, United Kingdom
Published: December 2015

The formulation of the syndrome of interatrial conduction block is an important step for improved identification of patients at high risk of developing atrial fibrillation (those with advanced, that is, third degree interatrial block, which includes retrograde instead of normal activation of the left atrium). The rationale and potential benefits of prophylactic antiarrhythmic treatment of patients with advanced interatrial block currently seems not sufficiently convincing and requires further study including prospective trials. In addition to the identified future directions for research in this syndrome, it seems important also to explore novel electrocardiogram (ECG) methods (e.g. new electrode positions and ECG leads) for improved characterisation of the atrial electrical events. Oesophageal electrocardiography and vectorcardiography are old, venerable and unjustifiably forgotten ECG techniques: their additional use of for better diagnosis of interatrial conduction block is highly commendable.
Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation — The Use of NOACs in Everyday Clinical Practice
Authors: Dan Gheorghe-Andrei ,   International Society of Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy, Buzea Adrian Catalin ,   University of Medicine ‘Carol Davila’ — Colentina University Hospital, Bucharest, Romania
Published: December 2015

Non-antivitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have recently emerged as a new class of antithrombotic drugs. Four large-scale, randomised controlled trials (RCT) accredited dabigatran, rivaroxaban and edoxaban with evident advantages for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) compared with warfarin. The superiority concerns not only the manageability but also the antithrombotic efficacy and safety. Aspects of real-life clinical experience with NOAC for stroke prevention in AF are analysed in an attempt to underline some practical differences. If at present the individualisation of the NOAC class drugs is still a subject of debate it is probable that in the near future we will be able to adapt the drug and dosages to individual patient’s profile.
Implicit Religion in Popular Culture
Authors: Crome Andrew
Published: December 2015

Science fiction has often been presented as an ideal lens through which to examine the presence of implicit religion in contemporary society. This article provides an overview of the way in which both implicit and explicit religion has been read through the British science fiction show Doctor Who (1963–present). Commentators have argued for Buddhist, Christian or Humanist themes as predominant within the diegesis, although such claims are shown to be problematic. Instead, Doctor Who presents a variety of religious positions which can be used in a polysemic manner to discuss religion by both religious and non-religious viewers. The show has been recognised by some fans and commentators as fulfilling an implicitly religious function in and of itself, and the diegetic setting, producers, and fans are all shown to have expressed interest in exploring the concept of implicit religion. In spite of this, the article concludes with a note of caution over the dangers of over-reading implicit religiosity into contemporary cultural forms such as fandom.