bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Charles Taylor Philosophizes with History: A Review of Dilemmas and Connections
Authors: Blakely Jason
Published: July 2013

Abstract

Charles Taylor’s latest collection of essays, Dilemmas and Connections, is the most recent installment in his development of a grand history of the rise of a modern, secular age. In this review, I show how the historical narrative that defines Taylor’s late work is in continuity with his earlier hermeneutic commitments, while also allowing him to advance new inquiries into areas as diverse as secularism, religion, nationalism, and human rights discourse. I do this by not only providing a succinct summary of Taylor’s master narrative, but also by arguing that it resolves a number of philosophical dilemmas.
Dating the Even Bohan of Qalonymos ben Qalonymos of Arles. A Microhistory of Scholarship
Authors: Dunkelgrün Theodor
Published: July 2013

Abstract

The Even Bohan of Qalonymos ben Qalonymos has long been acknowledged as a masterpiece of Hebrew satire and an important source for Jewish life in medieval Aragon, Provence, and Italy. The date of its composition, however, has been the subject of persistent confusion. For over four centuries its completion was dated decades before the birth of its author, even though the correct date had been discovered by Joseph Scaliger and (independently) by Leopold Zunz. After an overview of Qalonymos’s world and works, this essay uncovers this history by tracing the fate of one word through textual transmission from manuscript to print. Studying past attempts to date Qalonymos’s text, this essay tells chapters in the histories of the Hebrew book and the perception of medieval Jewish history by both Renaissance Christian Hebraists and nineteenth-century scholars of the Wissenschaft des Judentums. It also provides the correct date of the completion of the Even Bohan.
The Meaning of Judaeus and the Myth of Jewish Male Menses in a Late Medieval Astronomical School Text
Authors: Nothaft C. Philipp E.
Published: July 2013

Abstract

The article introduces and explores a new source on Christian hostility towards Jews during the late Middle Ages. It comes in the shape of a commentary on a Computus Judaicus, which was used as a quadrivial school text in Central and Eastern Europe during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Based on an examination of the rich manuscript tradition, it will be demonstrated how the text contributed to the evolution of the trope of Jewish male menstruation, which is here tied, in a unique manner, to an exposition of the Jewish calendar as a method of lunar reckoning.
Changing Pitch of Sounds Alters Perceived Visual Motion Trajectory
Authors: Takeshima Yasuhiro , Gyoba Jiro
Published: July 2013

Several studies have examined the effects of auditory stimuli on visual perception. In studies of cross-modal correspondences, auditory pitch has been shown to modulate visual motion perception. In particular, low-reliability visual motion stimuli tend to be affected by metaphorically or physically congruent or incongruent sounds. In the present study, we examined the modulatory effects of auditory pitch on visual perception of motion trajectory for visual inputs of varying reliability. Our results indicated that an auditory pitch implying the illusory motion toward the outside of the visual field-modulated perceived motion trajectory. In contrast, auditory pitch implying the illusory motion toward the central visual field did not affect the perception of motion trajectory. This asymmetrical effect of auditory stimuli occurred depending on the reliability of the visual input. Moreover, sounds that corresponded in terms of their pitch-elevation mapping altered the perception of the trajectory of visual motion when apparent motion could be perceived smoothly. Therefore, the present results demonstrate that auditory stimuli modulate visual motion perception especially when smooth motion is perceived in the peripheral visual field.
Taxonomic changes in the genus Diabrotica Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae): results of a synopsis of North and Central America Diabrotica species
Authors: DERUNKOV A. , KONSTANTINOV A.
Published: July 2013

The following new synonyms in Diabrotica Chevrolat 1836 are proposed: D. flaviventris Jacoby 1887 and D. tibialis Ja-coby 1887 are synonyms of D. adelpha Harold 1875; D. peckii Bowditch 1911 is a synonym of D. bioculata Bowditch 1911; D. nummularis Harold 1877 is a synonym of D. circulata Harold 1875; D. linensis Bechyné 1956 is a synonym of D. trifurcata Jacoby 1887; D. brunneosignata Jacoby 1887 is a synonym of D. sinuata Olivier 1790; D. duplicata Jacoby 1887 is a synonym of D. viridifasciata Jacoby 1887. Diabrotica cyaneomaculata Jacoby 1887 does not share the synapo-morphies of Diabrotica and is treated as incertae sedis. Diabrotica tripunctata (Fabricius) is removed from synonymy with D. sinuata Olivier and is considered to be a valid species. The original combination is restored for Diabrotica fasciata Kirsch, the species being transferred from Paranapiacaba Bechyné back to Diabrotica. It was found that the type series of D. godmani Jacoby contains seven different taxa: one is D. godmani itself; one is D. championi Jacoby; one is D. quad-ricollis Jacoby; three are unidentified Diabrotica species, each different from the others; and one is not a Diabrotica. The type series of D. viridicollis Jacoby contains four different taxa, D. viridicollis Jacoby itself and three different unidenti-fied Diabrotica species.
New Hailstone Physics. Part I: Heat and Mass Transfer (HMT) and Growth
Authors: List Roland
Published: July 2013

An all-encompassing new theory of heat and mass transfer (HMT) and growth equations have been developed for freely falling spherical hailstones with diameters of 0.5–8 cm. The initial six variables are diameter, liquid water content, air and hailstone surface temperatures, net collection efficiency, and ice fraction of spongy deposit. They are replaced by three or four new ones, depending on the three growth categories. Two new variables are products of “old” ones: (i) the square root of the Reynolds number Re and the liquid water content and (ii) net collection efficiency and ice fraction of the spongy deposit. Only the products matter, not the individual parts. [The two variables in (ii) are as important as the two in (i).] Two old variables remain: air and surface temperatures. The HMT can be further compacted for hailstorms with specified pressure–air temperature–height profiles. Further, Re for free-fall reveals unexpected complexities—issues important to solve HMT problems.

The “new hailstone physics” is based on 55 years of in-house studies of all aspects of hailstone growth, followed by 5 years of shaping these puzzle pieces and assembling them into a coherent picture. This was only possible by recognizing the free-fall mode: a special gyration that allows hailstones to grow with a radial symmetry and, thus, homogeneous surface temperature.

Part II will display the surprising solutions to growth and HMT and firmly link the hailstones to mostly spongy growth with shedding that favors a hail-coupled rain mechanism.
Governing Turkey’s information society
Authors: Topak Özgün E
Published: July 2013

This article analyses the information society developments in Turkey. Utilizing analytical insights of Foucault’s governmentality to move beyond state-centric approaches and to focus on the practical, productive and imperfect operations of power, it identifies four main actors of governance through which the rationalities and practices of information society are developed and disseminated: the Justice and Development Party, the European Union, global development organizations and information society experts. The article demonstrates that despite their different and sometimes competing backgrounds and projections, each actor promoted neoliberal governmentality and maintained that Turkey’s information society strategy should be regarded as an opportunity for further liberalizing the economy and mobilizing citizens of Turkey with digital and entrepreneurial skills. While Turkey’s information society strategy has certain technical inefficiencies and limitations in its reach, it clearly demonstrates the political ambitions of integrating Turkey into global capitalism, and the contemporary governmental phase in Turkish modernity in which local and global actors have started playing important roles. Such decentralization of governance does not mean that authoritarianism in Turkey has ended. In fact, neoliberal rationalities have intersected with the existing authoritarian ones to produce globalized yet compliant citizens who are under digital surveillance. The case of Turkey demonstrates that rather than being a linear process, governmentality advances through complex local and global articulations and may coexist with authoritarianism and surveillance.
Agrarian reforms
Authors: Jacobs Susie
Published: July 2013

This article explores key issues around land and agrarian reforms, beginning with definitions. It analyses debates over political intent and the contradictory economic outcomes of (redistributionist) reforms: these decrease some class inequalities but hold potential for further differentiation in the countryside. It also takes up three current issues: gender, land rights and land reforms, neoliberal ‘reforms’, titling and land ‘grabs’, and agrarian reforms’ contemporary relevance in the context of globalising trends. It concludes that land and agrarian reforms continue to be of much importance to poverty alleviation, food security and sustainable agriculture, particularly in a world framed by neoliberal policies.
Dissonant alignments: The ethics and politics of researching state institutions
Authors: Lavanchy Anne
Published: July 2013

This article explores the ethical challenges of conducting fieldwork in state institutions. It critically engages with the chain of competing claims and multiple loyalties that confront social researchers, and addresses as the main question: how does working with people with whose goals one fundamentally disagrees shape the necessity of building collaborative alliances and trust?

Drawing on the experience of a sensitive and precarious procedure – the administrative hearing of two fiancés suspected of a sham union – the article aims to give situated answers to general questions about the ethics of fieldwork relations. By challenging ideas about trust, neutrality and loyalty, it explores the tensions between building field alliances and private moral and political alignments. In the light of such dissonance, the article discusses the stakes of disclosure and the imposition of a covert role in forging alliances; the consequences of working in a state institution, where ‘customers’ are submitted to civil servants’ discretionary power; and how this blurs, for the researcher, the opposition between adopting a neutral stance and taking sides. Finally, the article addresses the ethics of unethical alliances and how this tension challenges choices in portraying and betraying research participants.
Factors influencing physical activity among postpartum Iranian women
Authors: Roozbahani Nasrin , Ghofranipour Fazlollah , Eftekhar Ardabili Hassan , Hajizadeh Ebrahim
Published: July 2013

Background:

Postpartum women are a population at risk for sedentary living. Physical activity (PA) prior to pregnancy may be effective in predicting similar behaviour in the postpartum period.

Objective:

To test a composite version of the extended transtheoretical model (TTM) by adding ‘past behaviour’ in order to predict PA behaviour among postpartum Iranian women.

Methods:

Participants were 300 primiparous postpartum women from health clinics in Arak, Iran who completed the Iranian versions of the TTM, past behaviour and PA behaviour questionnaires. The mean age of the participants was 24.85 years ( SD = 4.4, range = 15–41). Data were analysed using bivariate correlation and path analysis.

Results:

The first revised model accounted for 43% of the variance in current PA and represented a good data fit (χ2 = 7.45, df = 4, p = 0.114). There were significant direct pathways between PA and stage of change (β = 0.51), pros (β = 0.30), and cons (β = −0.31), and significant indirect effects of self-efficacy (β = .39) and processes of change (β = 0.34). The final model, which included the direct effects of past behaviour (β = 0.28), explained 50% of the variance in PA and represented a good data fit (χ2 = 8.30, df = 5, p = 0.14). Additionally, in this model pros (β = 0.25) and cons (β = −0.26) are directly related to PA, and self-efficacy (β = 0.39) and processes of change (β = 0.34) are indirectly related to PA.

Conclusion:

The findings of this study support the application of TTM to PA behaviour change among Iranian postpartum women. However, adding past behaviour to the model increases our understanding of the population’s PA and may help the planning of more efficient interventions for promoting PA.
Modeling of dynamic mechanical properties of epoxy and epoxy-phenolic reinforced with multi-wall carbon nanotubes
Authors: Arias Juan PM , Escobar Mariano , Vazquez Analia
Published: July 2013

The viscoelastic properties of nanocomposites based on epoxy and epoxy-phenolic blend matrix reinforced with multi-wall carbon nanotubes were studied. The content of carbon nanotube (0.2 and 0.5 wt.%) and its surface state (pristine vs. oxidized) varied. The characterization of the nanocomposites was done by means of infrared spectroscopy and chemical methods. From the viscoelastic properties of nanocomposites, characteristic properties such as storage modulus ( E0), tan δ and damping peak (tan δ) were obtained. The void content was also determined. Also, Weibull statistics are used to represent the failure of secondary bonds during the relaxation processes that lead to stiffness change over the full range of use temperatures. The incorporation of phenolic resin to an epoxy matrix leads to an increase of the relaxation modulus. The glass transition temperature of the epoxy-phenolic nanocomposites decrease when it is incorporated carbon nanotubes, independently of its state (pristine or oxidized).
Investigating the Community of Practice of World Language Educators on Twitter
Authors: Wesely Pamela M.
Published: July 2013

This study investigated how an online community of teachers engaged in professional development using collaborative Web (Web 2.0) technologies. This community of practice (CoP) consisted of world language (WL) teachers using the microblogging platform, Twitter. The study approached teacher learning from a sociocultural perspective. Its central questions were as follows: What are the characteristics of this CoP of WL educators on Twitter? How do those characteristics relate to or reflect teacher learning? With a qualitative, netnographic approach, data sources included over a year of participant observation, nine interviews with community members, and numerous online documents from blogs, wikis, and other sources. Findings demonstrated how the domain, community, and practice characteristics of this online CoP could also be linked to sustained and significant teacher learning. The study concludes with considerations for the future of similar online communities.
Screening for synthetic cannabinoids in hair by using LC-QTOF MS: A new and powerful approach to study the penetration of these new psychoactive substances in the population
Authors: Gottardo Rossella , Sorio Daniela , Musile Giacomo , Trapani Elisa , Seri Catia , Serpelloni Giovanni , Tagliaro Franco
Published: July 2013

The current analytical technology for the determination of New Psychoactive Substances in biological samples is still largely inadequate, because the immunoassays are unsuitable for the detection of most of these compounds and the use of traditional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry techniques is hampered by the lack of chromatographic standards and mass fragmentation patterns. Taking advantage of the molecular recognition capability of high-resolution mass spectrometry, the present work aimed to apply liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry for the rapid identification of New Psychoactive Substances in the hair, a peculiar tissue which “keeps memory” of the recent history of drug intake of the subject. All the samples were screened for the presence of 50 different New Psychoactive Substances (synthetic cannabinoids, cathinones and phenethylamines), substances that had been reported officially by the National Early Warning System in the period 2009–2011. Among the 435 samples analyzed, 8 were found “positive” for the following compounds: JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-081, JWH-250, JWH-122, in a broad range of concentrations (0.010–1.28 ng/mg). Results strongly support the use of hair analysis to monitor the diffusion of new psychoactive drugs in the community.
Fatal gunshot injuries in Benin City, Nigeria
Authors: Akhiwu Wilson O , Igbe Alex P
Published: July 2013

An upsurge in gun violence in recent times in our environment necessitated this study, which aims to document the patterns of fatal gunshot injuries with the hope of finding a solution to this problem. The study was a retrospective analysis of cases of fatal gunshot injuries on which autopsies were carried out over the 5-year period from January 1998 to December 2002 at Police Medical Services, Benin City – a Nigerian ancient town located in the South-South zone of the country. Most cases of medico-legal death in Benin City and environs are referred to the Police Pathologist at the center for autopsy. A total of 210 cases representing 27.2% of all medico-legal deaths during the study period were reviewed. Males were far more affected than females (M:F = 10.7:1). The intent for the fatal gunshots was murder (88.5%), excusable homicide (4.8%), accident (4.3%) and suicide (0.5%). In 1.9% of the deaths, the circumstances were not clear. Armed robbers, thugs and assassins accounted for 88.1% of the fatal shots, while the Police accounted for 9.0%. The trunk was affected much more than the head, neck and limbs. There is a need to improve security in the country and reduce poverty. Illegal firearms should also be removed from circulation. An improvement in emergency health services will reduce deaths from gunshots.
Displaying Critical Thinking in EFL Academic Writing: A Discussion of Japanese to English Contrastive Rhetoric
Authors: McKinley Jim
Published: July 2013

This article provides an examination of the literature on issues surrounding the problems Japanese university students face in learning critical argument in their English academic writing courses. Japanese students’ critical thinking skills are criticized as not fostered in their university education, perhaps due to Confucian education ideals, Japanese ‘reader-responsible’ rhetorical structures, or misinterpretations by Western instructors. The article is presented in four sections providing first, an examination of English L2 in the Japanese context, second, an analysis of Japanese to English contrastive rhetoric, and third, a discussion of the debate on Japanese university students’ critical thinking in EFL writing. The article finishes with several suggestions to provide ways of dealing with the key challenges and fostering more positive development of critical thinking in Japanese students’ EFL academic writing.
Computer-based training system for cataract surgery
Authors: Dequidt Jérémie , Courtecuisse Hadrien , Comas Olivier , Allard Jérémie , Duriez Christian , Cotin Stéphane , Dumortier Élodie , Wavreille Olivier , Rouland Jean-François
Published: July 2013

This paper describes a single simulation framework to perform interactive cataract surgery simulations. Contributions includes advanced bio-mechanical models and intensive use of modern graphics hardware to provide fast computation times. Surgical devices are replicated and located in a real-time thanks to infrared tracking. Combination of a high-fidelity simulation and actual surgical tools are able to improve surgeon immersion while training. Preliminary tests have been performed by experienced ophthalmologists to qualitatively assess the face-validity of the simulator and the faithfulness of the behavior of the anatomical structures as well as the interactions with the surgical tools.
Does Chicago’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Programme Pass the ‘But-for’ Test? Job Creation and Economic Development Impacts Using Time-series Data
Authors: Lester T. William
Published: July 2013

Chicago uses tax increment financing (TIF) to promote economic development to a greater extent than any other large American city. This paper conducts a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of Chicago’s TIF programme in creating economic opportunities and catalysing real estate investments at the neighbourhood scale. This paper uses a unique panel dataset at the block-group level to analyse the impact of TIF designation and investments on employment change, business creation and building permit activity. After controlling for potential selection bias in TIF assignment, this paper shows that TIF ultimately fails the ‘but-for’ test and shows no evidence of increasing tangible economic development benefits for local residents. Implications for policy are considered.
Participatory Community Regeneration: A Discussion of Risks, Accountability and Crisis in Devolved Wales
Authors: Dicks Bella
Published: July 2013

This paper discusses the contradictions of citizen participation in regeneration. Focusing on the south Wales Valleys, it observes that the creation of the Welsh Assembly in 1999 created a window of opportunity for a radical, bottom–up programme of ‘non-prescriptive’ regeneration, Communities First, which invoked active citizenship to address democratic deficit and economic crisis. Drawing on interview and policy evidence, the analysis shows how the programme became captured by a New Labour policy agenda shifting the priorities from citizen representation to ‘community activation’. This trajectory is interpreted in the light of Jones’ and Ward’s analysis of the ‘crisis of crisis management’, in which the state attempts to offset repeated failures to address economic crisis by a series of political-level ‘fixes’ that in turn create new problems. In the case discussed, these fixes take the form of risk management measures, which the paper discusses using the concepts of the risk society (Beck) and reflexive government (Dean).
Creating City-region Governance Structures in a Dysfunctional Polity: The Case of Ireland’s National Spatial Strategy
Authors: Breathnach Proinnsias
Published: July 2013

Devolution of powers and functions from national to regional level has been a common experience internationally in recent times. A range of possible driving forces underpinning this trend are reviewed. The city-region has become a favoured spatial unit for organising direct regional participation in global markets. New governance structures are being forged for mobilising joint cross-communuty action in pursuit of broad regional objectives. A range of influences can shape the configuration of these structures, giving rise to a varied geography of regional governance arrangements. This paper focuses on the dysfunctional governance structures which have inhibited the implementation of the National Spatial Strategy, introduced by the Irish government in 2002 with the objective of achieving balanced regional development through the creation of a polycentric system of city-regions. These structures are described and their origins attributed to features of the Irish system of government which favour administrative centralisation over devolution.
Normative Data for the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised in German-Speaking Countries
Authors: Mokros Andreas , Hollerbach Pia , Vohs Knut , Nitschke Joachim , Eher Reinhard , Habermeyer Elmar
Published: July 2013

The Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) is the standard assessment method for psychopathic personality traits of offenders. PCL-R norms for German-speaking countries have not yet been published. This study reviews the extant literature on the PCL-R and its screening version in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Based on 25 published empirical studies (total N = 4,254) overall means and standard deviations were estimated using meta-analytic methods. Assuming normality, estimates of norms (percentiles and T-scores) were derived for male offenders with respect to the standard assessment protocol (PCL-R interview plus file review), purely file-based assessments, and the screening version of the instrument. Compared with the North American normative data, estimated sample means were significantly lower for PCL-R standard assessments and for the screening instrument. The present findings may serve as provisional estimates for gauging the level of psychopathic traits of male offenders in Austria, Germany, and the German-speaking parts of Switzerland.
First-term Attrition of Military Personnel in the Australian Defence Force
Authors: Hoglin Phillip J. , Barton Nicole
Published: July 2013

Every year the Australian Defence Force (ADF) recruits over 4,900 ab initio sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen of whom approximately 31 percent separate prior to completion of an initial obligated period of service. This early separation of personnel, or first-term attrition, can represent a waste of resources and opportunity. Therefore, it follows that an understanding of those pre-enlistment characteristics which may predict first-term attrition will allow the ADF to review recruiting policies with the view to reducing early attrition. A logit regression model was used to analyze the predictors of first-term attrition of 11,372 ab initio sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen who enlisted over the period 1 July 2002 to 1 July 2007. The study, the first of its type examining attrition in ADF, found there is evidence that attrition can be predicted by several pre-enlistment characteristics. A low level of education, low aptitude score, and low psychologist interview rating on enlistment all predicted increased odds of first-term attrition compared with those completing 12 years of schooling prior to enlistment or having at least an average aptitude score or psychologist interview rating. There was also evidence that recruits entering combat military occupations had higher odds of first-term attrition than those entering administration or logistics occupations. It is anticipated that future research will focus on specific predictors, expand the variables for analyses and examine attrition over different intervals of time.
The Military and Politics in Guinea
Authors: Bah Mamadou Diouma
Published: July 2013

This article explains why the Guinean state remained resilient to armed conflicts following military intervention in politics. The military establishment has been heavily involved in Guinean politics for nearly three decades during which time it has exhibited varied political behavior. This protracted military involvement in Guinean political affairs presented a threat to Guinea’s stability in a region where large-scale armed conflicts are often associated with military intervention in politics. This article explores the linkages between military behavior in politics and political stability by using a model derived from ethnic and identity literature. It concludes that by adopting an ethnic group-like behavior, the Guinean military played a vital role in maintaining political stability during the period between 1984 and 2010. This is in contrast to findings in recent studies where military intervention in West African politics is strongly linked with the onset of large-scale civil conflicts.
Gradient-based iterative algorithm for solving the generalized coupled Sylvester-transpose and conjugate matrix equations over reflexive (anti-reflexive) matrices
Authors: Beik Fatemeh Panjeh Ali , Salkuyeh Davod Khojasteh , Moghadam Mahmoud Mohseni
Published: July 2013

Linear matrix equations play an important role in many areas, such as control theory, system theory, stability theory and some other fields of pure and applied mathematics. In the present paper, we consider the generalized coupled Sylvester-transpose and conjugate matrix equations

[Formula: see text]

where [Formula: see text] is a group of unknown matrices and for [Formula: see text],

[Formula: see text]

in which [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are given matrices with suitable dimensions defined over complex number field. By using the hierarchical identification principle, an iterative algorithm is proposed for solving the above coupled linear matrix equations over the group of reflexive (anti-reflexive) matrices. Meanwhile, sufficient conditions are established which guarantee the convergence of the presented algorithm. Finally, some numerical examples are given to demonstrate the validity of our theoretical results and the efficiency of the algorithm for solving the mentioned coupled linear matrix equations.
Affinity for music: A study of the role of emotion in musical instrument learning
Authors: StGeorge Jennifer , Holbrook Allyson , Cantwell Robert
Published: July 2013

For many people, the appeal of music lies in its connection to human emotions. A significant body of research has explored the emotions that are experienced through either the formal structure of music or through its symbolic messages. Yet in the instrumental music education field, this emotional connection is rarely examined. In this article, it is argued that identifying more about “liking music,” especially in young learners, has a role to play in explaining the music-learning experience and how participation in learning can be sustained. Based on findings from the qualitative elements of a larger study that explored student engagement with learning, this article proposes the concept of “affinity” as the affective and subjective connection to music that motivates individuals’ continuing involvement with music.
Establishment of a novel rat model without blood priming during normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass
Authors: Zhu X , Ji B , Liu J , Sun Y , Wu S , Zheng Z , Long C , Tang Y
Published: July 2013

Objective:

An effective animal model was needed for research on the pathophysiology of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Rat models were considered suitable for research into CPB, recently. The aim of the article is to establish a simple and safe CPB model without blood priming in rats, containing the advantages of controlling temperature precisely, being similar to the clinical process and laying the foundation for the further study of a deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) model.

Materials and Methods:

Ten Sprague-Dawley rats, divided into a CPB group (n=7) and a sham group (n=3), received sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia and were maintained in an anesthesia state by intubation. The entire CPB circuit consisted of a reservoir, a membrane oxygenator, a roller pump, a heat exchanger and a heat cooler, all of which were connected via silicon tubes. The volume of the priming solution, composed of 6% HES130/0.4 and 125 IU heparin, was less than 12 ml. In the CPB group, a 22G catheter was placed in the left femoral artery for monitoring arterial blood pressure, a 20G catheter was placed in a tail artery for arterial inflow and a homemade, multiorificed catheter was inserted into a right jugular vein for venous drainage. After 90 minutes, the CPB process was terminated when vital signs were stable. In the sham group, the same surgical process was conducted except for the venous drainage. Post-oxygenator blood gas and hemodynamic parameters were measured at each time point before CPB, during CPB and after CPB.

Results:

All CPB processes were successfully achieved. Blood gas analysis and hemodynamic parameters of each time point were in accordance with normal ranges. The vital signs of all rats were stable.

Conclusion:

The establishment of CPB without blood priming in rats can be achieved successfully. The rat model could be used to study short-term or long-term organ injury mechanisms caused by CPB. Furthermore, on the basis of the precise control of temperature and the depth of anesthesia, the DHCA model in rats could be developed further to study pathophysiological changes of neurological and other organ functions in the future.
Self-Directed Learning
Authors: Boyer Stefanie L. , Edmondson Diane R. , Artis Andrew B. , Fleming David
Published: July 2013

A meta-analytic review of self-directed learning (SDL) research over 30 years, five countries, and across multiple academic disciplines is used to explore its relationships with five key nomologically related constructs for effective workplace learning. The meta-analysis revealed positive relationships between SDL and internal locus of control, motivation, performance, self-efficacy, and support. The use of an actual SDL project in an undergraduate sales management course and an MBA selling and sales management course is used to provide supporting evidence and practical advice for educators seeking to use SDL to promote lifelong learning skills in students.
Pleasure generated by sadness: Effect of sad lyrics on the emotions induced by happy music
Authors: Mori Kazuma , Iwanaga Makoto
Published: July 2013

We examined whether sad lyrics influenced the emotions induced by happy-sounding music. The listening experiment consisted of three conditions: happy-sounding music with sad lyrics sung in a foreign language; the translation of the sad lyrics; and the happy music with the translation of the sad lyrics. Participants rated their emotional perception of the material and their feelings in each condition. The results showed that pleasant feelings of the same intensity were induced when happy-sounding music (with foreign language sad lyrics) and happy music (with translated sad lyrics) were played, but not when sad lyrics were presented alone. Moreover, although the perception of happiness predicted the degree of pleasant feelings when only happy music or only sad lyrics were presented, the perception of sadness predicted pleasant feelings when happy music with sad lyrics was presented. This study suggests that when happy-sounding music with sad lyrics is presented, the listener has pleasant feelings generated by the perception of sadness.
The ‘Group-Analytic Stance’ in Training of Psychiatrists: Race, Cultural Differences and the Case Based Discussion Group
Authors: Cilasun Jale , Herrewegh Muge
Published: July 2013

Britain is a multicultural society with psychiatrists and their patients coming from many different countries. It is therefore important that psychiatric trainees learn to understand their own cultural determinants and how these influence understanding patients who come from different cultures, other than their own, while operating within a third and different culture.

When conducted with the group analytic stance, the Case Based Discussion (CBD) group, which is a mandatory component of psychiatric training, can be a rich medium for enabling trainees to see both themselves and their patients in their cultural context.
Effects of tramadol, clonazepam, and their combination on brain mitochondrial complexes
Authors: Mohamed Tarek Mostafa , Ghaffar Hamdy M Abdel , El Husseiny Rabee MR
Published: July 2013

The present study is an unsubstantiated qualitative assessment of the abused drugs—tramadol and clonazepam. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the effects of tramadol, clonazepam, and their combination on mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) complexes were influential at therapeutic or at progressively increasing doses. The study comprised of a total of 70 healthy male rats, aged 3 months. According to the drug intake regimen, animals were divided into seven groups: control, tramadol therapeutic, clonazepam therapeutic, combination therapeutic, tramadol abuse, clonazepam abuse, and combination abuse group. At the end of the experiment, brain mitochondrial ETC complexes (I, II, III, and IV) were evaluated. Histopathological examinations were also performed on brain tissues. The results showed that groups that received tramadol (therapeutic and abuse) suffered from weight loss. Tramadol abuse group and combination abuse group showed significant decrease in the activities of I, III, and IV complexes but not in the activity of complex II. In conclusion, tramadol but not clonazepam has been found to partially inhibit the activities of respiratory chain complexes I, III, and IV but not the activity of complex II and such inhibition occurred only at doses that exceeded the maximum recommended adult human daily therapeutic doses. This result explains the clinical and histopathological effects of tramadol, such as seizures and red neurons (marker for apoptosis), respectively.
State Strategies of Resisting Social Accountability
Authors: Varga Mihai
Published: July 2013

This article contributes to growing research about the emergence of the rule of law, or horizontal accountability, still a salient difference between Western institutionalized democracies and the new democracies in post-communist Eurasia. Recent research has theorized “social accountability” as a possible mechanism linking public campaigning by civic associations with the activation of institutions of horizontal accountability. By reviewing the recent public campaigns of various associations in post-Soviet Ukraine, this article “turns the lens” of such research by focusing less on the characteristics of the civil society actors mobilizing to bring about accountability and more on the state itself. It argues that the prospects for horizontal accountability have to be judged against a wide range of containment measures that states attempt in order to demobilize public opposition to their policies. Such measures operate through “twisted legality,” a set of measures policing protests through means that are largely legal but specifically target protesters in ways that could not function were state powers indeed separated (for instance, if the police apparatus were to operate on the basis of legal mandates issued by independent courts). Furthermore, the goal of policing actions is to push protesters “out of legality,” in ways that I describe below.
The Little Brown Woman
Authors: Bhatt Wasudha
Published: July 2013

Drawing on 121 in-depth interviews with first- and second-generation women and men physicians of Indian origin in the U.S. Southwest, I examine the incidence and nature of gender-based discrimination in American medicine. I focus on two aspects: (1) gender discrimination by employers and colleagues against women physicians of Indian origin and (2) the interaction of gender discrimination with race in the professional lives of first- and second-generation physicians. U.S. healthcare has become increasingly dependent on immigrants, in particular women physicians, from the developing world. I document the significant impact gender and race can have in molding the professional trajectories of Indian women physicians. The experiences of these physicians help clarify the interaction of skilled migrant workers with racial/ethnic and gender relations in U.S. workplaces.
Regulating Latina Youth Sexualities through Community Health Centers
Authors: Mann Emily S.
Published: July 2013

This article examines the regulation of Latina youth sexualities in the context of sexual and reproductive health care provision. In-depth interviews with health care providers working in two Latino-serving community health centers are analyzed for how they interpret and respond to the sexual and reproductive practices of their low-income Latina teen patients. The author finds that providers emphasize teenage pregnancy as a social problem among this population to the exclusion of other dimensions of youth sexualities and encourage Latina girls’ adherence to a life course trajectory that conforms to middle-class, heteronormative ideals as a solution to this problem. By relying on such understandings, providers construct meanings of sexual citizenship that require participation in bourgeois heteronormativity. These findings suggest that Latino-serving community health centers, their providers, and their teen patients could benefit from questioning the assumptions that inform providers’ appraisals of Latina youth and developing a more inclusive approach to Latina youth sexualities beyond a discourse of pregnancy prevention. Such efforts could allow community health centers to actively participate in disrupting the structural inequalities that shape their young patients’ lives.
Training and the Commitment of Outsourced Information Technologies’ Workers
Authors: Fontinha Rita , Chambel Maria José , Cuyper Nele De
Published: July 2013

Outsourced workers in information technologies (IT) generally have high skills and a high value on the job market. Their IT outsourcing organizations are likely to provide them with training, in the first place for skill development, but perhaps also as a way to bind the workers to them. This can be understood along the role of the psychological contract. Outsourced IT workers may see training as a fulfillment of their psychological contract. Accordingly, we hypothesize that psychological contract fulfillment mediates the relationship between training and affective commitment to the IT outsourcer. This was tested in a sample of 158 Portuguese outsourced IT workers. The results showed that employees who considered that they were receiving good training opportunities felt a greater affective commitment to their IT outsourcers. This relationship was mediated by the fulfillment of the relational psychological contract.
Does the ‘2012 IUSTI ECCG report on the diagnosis and management of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in Europe’ depict the situation in Europe?
Authors: Unemo M , Brooks B , Cole M , Ross J D C , White J A , Patel R
Published: July 2013

Summary

Gonorrhoea is a major public health concern globally. Of particular grave concern is that resistance to the third generation cephalosporins has been identified during recent years. This paper summarises and discusses the results of the ‘2012 IUSTI European Collaborative Clinical Group (ECCG) report on the diagnosis and management of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in Europe’. Although high quality care was reported in many settings, in several other countries the testing, diagnostics, antimicrobial treatment and follow-up of gonorrhoea patients need to be optimized. This, together with increased access to and use of antimicrobial susceptibility testing, is crucial in controlling the emergent spread of cephalosporin-resistant and multidrug-resistant gonorrhoea.
Differential Electrophysiological Signatures of Semantic and Syntactic Scene Processing
Authors: Võ Melissa L.-H. , Wolfe Jeremy M.
Published: July 2013

In sentence processing, semantic and syntactic violations elicit differential brain responses observable in event-related potentials: An N400 signals semantic violations, whereas a P600 marks inconsistent syntactic structure. Does the brain register similar distinctions in scene perception? To address this question, we presented participants with semantic inconsistencies, in which an object was incongruent with a scene’s meaning, and syntactic inconsistencies, in which an object violated structural rules. We found a clear dissociation between semantic and syntactic processing: Semantic inconsistencies produced negative deflections in the N300-N400 time window, whereas mild syntactic inconsistencies elicited a late positivity resembling the P600 found for syntactic inconsistencies in sentence processing. Extreme syntactic violations, such as a hovering beer bottle defying gravity, were associated with earlier perceptual processing difficulties reflected in the N300 response, but failed to produce a P600 effect. We therefore conclude that different neural populations are active during semantic and syntactic processing of scenes, and that syntactically impossible object placements are processed in a categorically different manner than are syntactically resolvable object misplacements.
Experiencing a Natural Disaster Alters Children’s Altruistic Giving
Authors: Li Yiyuan , Li Hong , Decety Jean , Lee Kang
Published: July 2013

Altruism is thought to be a major contributor to the development of large-scale human societies. However, much of the evidence supporting this belief comes from individuals living in pacific and often affluent environments. It is entirely unknown whether humans act altruistically when facing adversity. Adversity is arguably a common human experience (as manifested in, e.g., personal tragedies, political upheavals, and natural disasters). In the research reported here, we found that experiencing a natural disaster affected children’s altruistic giving. Immediately after witnessing devastations caused by a major earthquake, 9-year-olds became more altruistic. In addition, the more empathic they were, the more they gave. In contrast, experiencing a major earthquake caused 6-year-olds to be more selfish. Three years after the earthquake, children’s altruistic tendencies returned to pre-earthquake levels, which suggests that changes in children’s altruistic giving are an acute response to the immediate aftermath of a major natural disaster. These findings suggest that environmental insults and empathy play crucial roles in human altruism.
Acceleration in working life: An empirical test of a sociological framework
Authors: Ulferts Heike , Korunka Christian , Kubicek Bettina
Published: July 2013

Although perceptions of ‘acceleration’ are common in everyday life, empirical studies are rare. We investigated Rosa’s theoretical framework of social acceleration in working life. Based on the framework and the concept of job demands in work and organizational psychology we developed a questionnaire that distinguishes between demands for technological acceleration, demands for the acceleration of social change, and demands for the acceleration of the pace of life. The results of two studies (in the fields of office work and aviation service work) confirmed the tripartite structure of the framework and delivered evidence that employees indeed perceive acceleration-related demands in working life.
Rapid quantitative detection of Aeromonas hydrophila strains associated with disease outbreaks in catfish aquaculture
Authors: Griffin Matt J. , Goodwin Andrew E. , Merry Gwenn E. , Liles Mark R. , Williams Malachi A. , Ware Cynthia , Waldbieser Geoffrey C.
Published: July 2013

A new strain of Aeromonas hydrophila has been implicated in significant losses in farm-raised catfish. Outbreaks attributable to this new strain began in Alabama in the summer of 2009 and have spread to Arkansas and Mississippi in subsequent years. These outbreaks mostly afflicted market-sized fish and resulted in considerable losses in short periods of time. The present research was designed to develop an expeditious diagnostic procedure to detect the new strains of A. hydrophila due to the rapid onset and biosecurity concerns associated with this new disease. A discriminatory quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay was developed using gene sequences unique to the virulent strains identified in a related comparative genomic study. Using this assay, suspect colonies on a culture plate can be positively identified as the new strain within 2 hr. The assay is repeatable and reproducible with a linear dynamic range covering 8 orders of magnitude and a sensitivity of approximately 7 copies of target DNA in a 15-µl reaction. In addition, the assay is able to detect and quantify the virulent strain from catfish tissues (0.025 g), pond water (40 ml), and sediments (0.25 g) with a sensitivity limit of approximately 100 bacteria in a sample. This assay provides rapid discrimination between the new virulent strain and more common A. hydrophila and is useful for epidemiological studies involving the detection and quantification of the virulent strain in environmental samples and fish tissues.