bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel QoS-aware mechanism for provisioning of virtual machine resource in cloud
Authors: Feng Ye , Zhijian Wang , Qian Huang
Published: May 2016

Efficient low-level resource provisioning and QoS guaranteed are key challenges for cloud computing. Solving such kind of problem can reduce under- or over-utilization of resources, increase users’ satisfaction by serving more users during peak hours, and cut down implementation cost for providers and service cost for users. The existing research works focus on the accurate estimation of the capacity needs, static or dynamic virtual machines creation and scheduling. But significant amount of time is required to create and destroy virtual machines which can be used to serve more requests. In this paper, a novel adaptive QoS-aware virtual machine provisioning mechanism is developed that ensures efficient utilization of the system resources. The VM for similar type of requests has been recycled so that the VM creation time can be minimized and used to serve more user requests. In the proposed model, QoS is linked by a low-level infrastructure resource and is ensured by serving all the tasks within the requirements described in SLA. Tasks are separated using queues and different task is given different tasks are assigned into different queue according to their priority. The CloudSim-based simulation experimental results show that a great number of tasks can be served more effectively compared to others which will help to satisfy customers during the peak hour.
Yield of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography for the investigation of bile duct dilatation in asymptomatic patients
Authors: Tamir Shlomit , Braun Marius , Issachar Assaf , Bachar Gil N , Benjaminov Ofer
Published: May 2016

Background

Biliary dilatation in the asymptomatic patient is a frequent incidental finding in the work‐up for which there are no current guidelines.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to determine the yield of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in asymptomatic patients with an incidental finding of biliary duct dilatation.

Methods

The study included 68 consecutive patients for evaluation of biliary duct dilatation found incidentally on computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound (US). MRCP scans were reviewed, and data were retrospectively collected on demographics and laboratory work‐up. Patients were divided by the presence of a significant or non‐significant MRCP findings explaining the biliary duct dilatation and compared for normal or abnormal liver function.

Results

Liver function was normal in 47 patients and abnormal in 21 patients. MRCP identified the cause of the bile duct dilatation in 41 patients (60.3%). Rates of insignificant causes were 51% in the normal‐liver‐function group and 7% in the abnormal‐function group. Corresponding rates of significant causes were 27.7% and 61.9% (p  = 0.007).

Conclusions

MRCP is a valuable tool in the work‐up of biliary duct dilatation. Although significantly more significant causes of bile dilatation are identified in patients with abnormal liver function, almost one‐third of patients with normal liver function need further work‐up. This has important implications for establishing criteria for the use of MRCP in asymptomatic patients with biliary dilatation.
Changing NPP consumption patterns in the Holocene: From megafauna-‘liberated’ NPP to ‘ecological bankruptcy’
Authors: Doughty Christopher E , Faurby Søren , Wolf Adam , Malhi Yadvinder , Svenning Jens-Christian
Published: May 2016

There have been vast changes in how net primary production (NPP) has been consumed by humans and animals through the Holocene. Here we ask: how much NPP energy may have become available following the megafauna extinctions? When did humans, through agriculture and livestock, consume more NPP than wild mammals? When did humans and wild mammals use more energy than was available in total NPP in each country? The megafauna extinctions potentially liberated ~2.2–5.3% of global NPP that early humans eventually consumed. By 1850, humans began to consume more than wild mammals (globally averaged). Currently, >82% of people live in ‘ecologically bankrupt’ countries where all plant production could not satisfy our energy demands. To summarize, we began the Holocene with an NPP energy surplus, became the dominant consumers of NPP over the natural world by the start of the Industrial Revolution, but now consume more total energy (including fossil fuels) than is available in NPP in most countries.
The Burden of Sleep Problems
Authors: Seng Elizabeth K. , Cervoni Cynthia , Lawson Jessica L. , Oken Tanya , Sheldon Sloane , McKee M. Diane , Bonuck Karen A.
Published: May 2016

Introduction: Sleep disorders affect up to 1 in 4 adults and can adversely affect a variety of health conditions. However, little is known about detection of sleep disorders in ethnically diverse urban primary care settings. Methods: Patients in urban primary care settings completed surveys to screen for sleep problems and identify comorbid conditions. Providers were given screening results, and provided feedback regarding their clinical utility. Results: Participants (n = 95) were predominantly women (76.8%) and black, non-Hispanic (46.3%), or Hispanic (38.9%). High proportion of participants screened positive for insomnia (31.6%) and screened high risk for sleep apnea (42.1%). Only one-third (32.6%) of participants reported sleeping the recommended 7 to 9 hours per night. The presence of chronic pain (χ2 = 4.97, P = .03) was associated with clinically significant insomnia. Obesity was associated with fewer hours of sleep per night, t = 2.19(87), P = .03, and risk for sleep apnea (OR = 3.11, 95% CI = 1.28-7.50). Participants were interested in receiving help for sleep issues during their primary care visits (40%), and providers found the screening at least somewhat useful (74.4%). Discussion: Results highlight the potentially high unmet need for screening and treatment of sleep problems in ethnically diverse urban primary care settings.
An Attempt to Change College Students’ Attitudes Toward Individuals With Disabilities
Authors: Meyers Shelly , Lester David
Published: May 2016

This study investigated the effect of taking a disability studies course on college students’ attitudes toward people with disabilities, with the expectation that, after exposure to content and activities that focus on people with disabilities, the students’ attitudes would become more positive. Two groups of students completed a survey, the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with Disabilities at the beginning and again at the end of the semester. One group received instruction in a comprehensive disability studies course, while the other group did not. The scale has three subscales measuring affect (emotions such as nervousness and fear), cognitions (such as “We may get along well”), and behaviors (such as “Move away”) with respect to individuals with disabilities. There were no differences in changes in these scores between the two groups of students. Researchers discussed reasons for the failure to find differences.
The Land Question and the Mobility of the Marginalized: A Study of Land Inequality in Kerala
Authors: Yadu C. R.
Published: May 2016

Kerala’s widely acclaimed land reform failed to yield social equality. This article analyzes Kerala’s land question from the perspective of social equity and shows that even after the much touted land reform, land inequality in the state stands very high, whether measured in terms of overall distribution inequality or social inequality. The land reform, along with other factors, resulted in the preponderance of small and marginal holdings. In the social front, the marginalized communities still stand at the bottom of land ownership. The persisting inequality in land ownership has significant stakes in the upward mobility of the marginalized groups. The study reveals that land ownership is an important variable affecting the educational level of households and that land reform in the state widened the opportunities for occupational mobility among the marginalized groups.
Book Review: Leão Walquíria Rego and Alessandro Pinzani (2014), Vozes do Bolsa Família: Autonomia, dinheiro e cidadania
Authors: Lima Thiago
Published: May 2016

Leão Walquíria Rego and Alessandro Pinzani (2014), Vozes do Bolsa Família: Autonomia, dinheiro e cidadania [Voices of the Family Fund: Autonomy, money and citizenship], Second Edition, São Paulo: Editora Unesp. Paperback, ISBN 9788539305285, pp. 256, $40.
Expropriating the Land and its Moral Grounds: A Review Essay
Authors: Rosa Marcelo C.
Published: May 2016

Ben Cousins and Cherryl Walker (2015), Land Divided, Land Restored: Land Reform in South Africa for the 21st Century, Johannesburg: Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd. Paperback, ISBN 9781431409679, pp. 320, R240.
A Longitudinal Study to Explore the Impact of Preservice Teacher Health Training on Early Career Teachers’ Roles as Health Promoters
Authors: Byrne Jenny , Pickett Karen , Rietdijk Willeke , Shepherd Jonathan , Grace Marcus , Roderick Paul
Published: May 2016

Teachers play a key role in promoting children and young people’s health and therefore require health training during their initial teacher education (ITE). However, little is known about the impact of such training on teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and competence toward promoting health in school, especially long term. We report on Phase 1 of an 18-month project examining the long-term impact of an innovative health education program, based on socio-constructivist learning and critical reflection, during preservice teacher training at one ITE university in England. It also explored barriers and facilitators to promoting health in school. We sent a questionnaire to 1,014 primary and secondary school teachers from three consecutive cohorts: preservice teachers ( N = 334), newly qualified teachers ( N = 334), and early careers teachers ( N = 346). Of these, 164 (16%) responded (32% of preservice teachers, 8% of in-service teachers). This low response rate presents limitations but is in accordance with other research following up early career teachers. The majority of the respondents found the training useful, felt confident and knowledgeable teaching and dealing with health issues, and held positive attitudes about promoting health. They indicated that practical experience, supportive colleagues, and a positive school ethos toward children’s health and well-being were important facilitators to teaching health education. We conclude the training is associated with a positive, long-term effect in the minority who responded, and we argue that the socio-constructivist nature of the health education training is a contributor. However, school environment factors might mitigate or support the impact of training provided during ITE.
Right Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Saurer Adriana
Published: May 2016

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (Klatskin tumor) is a rare fatal disease that originates from biliary epithelium. This tumor may arise anywhere within the biliary tree, intrahepatic bile ducts, or common bile ducts, and it accounts for approximately 2% of all reported cancers. A case is reported of an elderly male patient presenting with chronic occlusion of the right portal vein and diagnosed with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. This report details the initial sonographic findings, the correlating follow-up imaging studies that were done, and patient management.
Clinical Performance Scores Are Independently Associated with the American Board of Anesthesiology Certification Examination Scores
Authors: Baker Keith , Sun Huaping , Harman Ann , Poon K. Trudy , Rathmell James P.
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUND:

It is unknown whether clinical performance during residency is related to the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) oral examination scores. We hypothesized that resident clinical performance would be independently associated with oral examination performance because the oral examination is designed to test for clinical judgment.

METHOD:

We determined clinical performance scores (Zrel) during the final year of residency for all 124 Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) anesthesia residents who graduated from 2009 to 2013. One hundred eleven graduates subsequently took the ABA written and oral examinations. We standardized each graduate’s written examination score (ZPart 1) and oral examination score (ZPart 2) to the national average. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the partial effects of MGH clinical performance scores and ABA written examination scores on ABA oral examination scores.

RESULTS:

MGH clinical performance scores (Zrel) correlated with both ABA written examination scores (ZPart 1) (r = 0.27; P = 0.0047) and with ABA oral examination scores (ZPart 2) (r = 0.33; P = 0.0005). ABA written examination scores (ZPart 1) correlated with oral examination scores (ZPart 2) (r = 0.46; P = 0.0001). Clinical performance scores (Zrel) and ABA written examination scores (ZPart 1) independently accounted for 4.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5%–12.4%; P = 0.012) and 20.8% (95% CI, 8.0%–37.2%; P < 0.0001), respectively, of the variance in ABA oral examination scores (ZPart 2).

CONCLUSIONS:

Clinical performance scores and ABA written examination scores independently accounted for variance in ABA oral examination scores. Clinical performance scores are independently associated with the ABA oral examination scores.
No Pain Labor & Delivery: A Global Health Initiative’s Impact on Clinical Outcomes in China
Authors: Hu Ling-Qun , Flood Pamela , Li Yunping , Tao Weike , Zhao Peishan , Xia Yun , Pian-Smith May C. , Stellaccio Francis S. , Ouanes Jean-Pierre P. , Hu Fengling , Wong Cynthia A.
Published: May 2016

The availability of labor analgesia is highly variable in the People’s Republic of China. There are widespread misconceptions, by both parturients and health care providers, that labor epidural analgesia is harmful to mother and baby. Meanwhile, China has one of the highest cesarean delivery rates in the world, exceeding 50%. The goal of the nongovernmental No Pain Labor & Delivery (NPLD) is to facilitate sustainable increases in vaginal delivery rates by increasing access to safe neuraxial labor analgesia, thereby decreasing the cesarean delivery rate. NPLD was launched in 2008 with the stated goal of improving labor outcome in China by increasing the absolute labor epidural analgesia rate by 10%. NPLD established 10 training centers over a 10-year period. We hypothesized that increased availability of labor analgesia would result in reduced requests for cesarean delivery and better labor outcomes for mother and baby. Multidisciplinary teams of Western clinicians and support staff traveled to China for 8 to 10 days once a year. The approach involved establishing 24/7 obstetric anesthesia coverage in Chinese hospitals through education and modeling multidisciplinary approaches, including problem-based learning discussions, bedside teaching, daily debriefings, simulation training drills, and weekend conferences. As of November 2015, NPLD has engaged with 31 hospitals. At 24 of these sites, 24/7 obstetric anesthesia coverage has been established and labor epidural analgesia rates have exceeded 50%. Lower rates of cesarean delivery, episiotomy, postpartum blood transfusion, and better neonatal outcomes were documented in 3 impact studies comprising approximately 55,000 deliveries. Changes in practice guidelines, medical policy, and billing codes have been implemented in conjunction with the modernization of perinatal practice that has occurred concurrently in China since the first NPLD trip in 2008.
Hospital-Level Factors Associated with Anesthesia-Related Adverse Events in Cesarean Deliveries, New York State, 2009–2011
Authors: Guglielminotti Jean , Deneux-Tharaux Catherine , Wong Cynthia A. , Li Guohua
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUND:

Marked variation across hospitals in adverse maternal outcomes in cesarean deliveries is reported, including anesthesia-related adverse events (ARAEs). Identification of hospital-level characteristics accounting for this variation may help guide interventions to improve anesthesia care quality. In this study, we examined the association between hospital-level characteristics and ARAEs in cesarean deliveries and assessed individual hospital performance.

METHODS:

Discharge records for cesarean deliveries, ARAEs, and patient characteristics in the State Inpatient Database for New York State 2009 to 2011 were identified with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. The hospital reporting index was calculated as the sum of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes divided by the number of discharges. Data on hospital characteristics were obtained from the American Hospital Association and the Area Health Resources files. Multilevel modeling was used to examine the association of hospital-level characteristics with ARAEs and to assess individual hospital performance.

RESULTS:

The study included 236,960 discharges indicating cesarean deliveries in 141 hospitals; 1557 discharges recorded at least 1 ARAE (6.6 per 1000; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.2–6.9). The following factors were associated with a significantly increased risk of ARAEs: Charlson comorbidity index ≥ 1 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.2), multiple gestation (aOR, 1.3), postpartum hemorrhage (aOR, 1.5), general anesthesia (aOR, 1.3), hospital annual cesarean delivery volume <200 (aOR, 2.3), and reporting index (aOR, 1.1 per 1 increase per discharge). Fifteen percent of the between-hospital variation in ARAEs was explained by the hospital annual cesarean delivery volume and 6% by the reporting index. Eight hospitals (6%) were classified as good-performing, 104 (74%) as average-performing, and 29 (21%) as bad-performing hospitals. Compared with good-performing hospitals, a 2.3-fold (95% CI, 1.7–3.0) and 5.9-fold (95% CI, 4.5–7.8) increase in the rate of ARAEs was observed in average- and bad-performing hospitals, respectively. Bringing up bad-performing hospitals to the level of average-performing hospitals would prevent 466 ARAEs (30%).

CONCLUSIONS:

Low cesarean delivery volume is the strongest hospital-level predictor of ARAEs in cesarean deliveries and the main determinant of between-hospital variation. Future study to identify other factors and interventions to improve performance in bad-performing hospitals is warranted.
Between Nuremberg and Jerusalem: Hannah Arendt’sTikkun Olam
Authors: Azoulay Ariella , Honig Bonnie
Published: May 2016

Since Hannah Arendt wrote Eichmann in Jerusalem in 1964, her stance toward the Eichmann trial in Israel has been the subject of controversy. This essay considers why Arendt, in her reporting on the trial, seems to have insisted on a criterion of “relevance” in the face of pain and focused on procedures in the face of catastrophe. The authors propose that relevance and legality are doing a certain work in Arendt’s text, that they are not the only criteria in play, and that they are not, strictly speaking, criteria at all. Arendt treats relevance and legality as contested and contestable practices that operate in various ways in different contexts. She does this in the service of a broader and heretofore unappreciated argument developed in Eichmann in Jerusalem, in which she tries to participate in the repair of the world broken by what survivors in 1945 referred to as “Nazi extermination plans.” This essay shows how we can see this if we look not only at what Arendt says in Eichmann but also at what she does in that book, at what she recovers from the trial as she casts about for resources that may help renew judgment, responsibility, spontaneity, creativity, and imagination
Cinema as Thought Experiment: On Movement and Movements
Authors: Copjec Joan
Published: May 2016

This paper is the first part of a two-part attempt to distinguish that repetition that founds a behaviorist notion of habit from another, obscure mechanism of repetition. The argument moves from the discussion of an eleventh-century thought experiment, devised by the Muslim mystic Avicenna, to the piety movement that has in recent decades implanted itself in global capitals of Muslim nations. This improbable trajectory finds its compass in Abbas Kiarostami’s feminist film, Ten.
The King's Tree Body: The Taming of the Wilderness and the Ecology of Kingship in Perceforest
Authors: Findley Brooke Heidenreich
Published: May 2016

The fifteenth-century French prose romance Perceforest portrays the relationship between the king and his forests in terms of both control and intimacy. The king's legitimacy arises from his ability to civilize the forests and regulate their resources, yet in another sense he himself is the forest. Both the eponymous king Perceforest and his great-nephew and heir Gallafur experience dream visions in which their subjectivities appear in vegetal form: Perceforest's depressive mental state manifests itself as an overgrown forest landscape, while Gallafur sees his body become tree-like. A reading of these visions suggests an ecology of kingship, in which proper governance, land management, and licit sexuality are all interconnected. At the same time, the visions resonate with recent strains of ecological thought, notably dark ecology and queer ecology. Encountering himself as a “strange stranger” within the dream landscape, the king experiences his mystical body in vegetal terms.
Spiritual Suffering and Physical Protection in Childbirth in the South English Legendary Lives of Saint Margaret
Authors: Alberts Allison Adair
Published: May 2016

This essay argues that the South English Legendary's life of Saint Margaret, patron saint of childbirth, reflects the devotional practice of imitatio Christi when it represents labor pains not as the shameful curse of Eve but as a miraculous moment in which the mother is united with Christ through her pain. Analysis of five late fourteenth- and fifteenth-century manuscripts reveals that the legend is fashioned as a practical guide to the experience and rituals of childbirth. The legend also suggests that the act of engaging with Margaret's life (whether through prayer, reading, or listening) functions in a way similar to the rite of baptism by evoking the saint's protection of mothers and infants during childbirth. More so than other late medieval versions of her life, the SEL life of Margaret connects bodily and salvific suffering, emphasizing the shared experience of pain among laboring woman, saint, and Christ.
International cooperation of Russia in fight against corruption: strategic points
Authors: Вазюлин  , Vazyulin Sergey
Published: May 2016

In the article the importance of one of the most significant factors of world-class anti-corruption policy, the international cooperation is revealed. The author proves that intensive cooperation with the foreign states is a characteristic of the modern period of development of the Russian Federation. Each of the countries develops and strengthens the international cooperation for fight against corruption in view of historical, economic, geopolitical and sociocultural features in its own way.

Generalizing international experience of fight against corruption, the author has isolated the major factors constraining development of this negative phenomenon. The attention is focused on anti-corruption mechanisms of world anti-corruption politics. Strategic instruments of fight against corruption in modern Russia are considered.
Strategic and legal provision of e-government in the Republic of Bulgaria
Authors: Алексиев  , Aleksiev Petr
Published: May 2016

The article presents a theoretical analysis of the policy and regulatory electronic control of security in the Republic of Bulgaria. The object of the research is electronic control system; the subject — the strategic and regulatory bases for e-governance in the Republic of Bulgaria and their current status.

The main thesis of the scientific article is in spite of a good strategic and regulatory security of electronic control system in the Republic of Bulgaria, it is still not fully implemented, as a consequence, does not function effectively and efficiently, and the public sector is not able to provide some administrative services to the citizens and business in an electronic way.
Internet media planning: features and tools
Authors: Ляпина  , Lyapina Innara , Блажко  , Blazhko Svetlana
Published: May 2016

The process of media planning is the traditional means of transmitting information to advertisers, but the media planning on the Internet has its own characteristics, technologies and principles. The basic tools of media planning on the Internet are examined; the companies with experience in the planning of online advertising are characterized.
Features of sociological analysis of protest actions of youth public organizations
Authors: Костенко  , Kostenko Valeriy
Published: May 2016

The article focuses on the role of sociology in the work of public authorities on the analysis of the protest activities of youth organizations. The functions of sociology are shown. For example, the use of predictive functions based on the expert survey method, the indicators are identified that reflect the impact of the protest actions in the social and political situation in the society.
The right of citizens to participate in government
Authors: Стрыгина  , Strygina Marina
Published: May 2016

The article discusses the possibility of implementing the rights of citizens in managing the state through participation in elections of heads of administrations of municipal entities (city managers). The author analyzes the real possibilities and limits of realization of the right of citizens to participate in managing the Affairs of the state; the system of appointment by competition of heads of local administrations.
Examining the Continuance of Secure Behavior: A Longitudinal Field Study of Mobile Device Authentication
Authors: Steinbart Paul John , Keith Mark J. , Babb Jeffry
Published: May 2016

It is not enough to get information technology (IT) users to adopt a secure behavior. They must also continue to behave securely. Positive outcomes of secure behavior may encourage the continuance of that behavior, whereas negative outcomes may lead users to adopt less-secure behaviors. For example, in the context of authentication, login success rates may determine whether users continue to use a strong credential or switch to less secure behaviors (e.g., storing a credential or changing to a weaker, albeit easier to successfully enter, credential). Authentication is a particularly interesting security behavior for information systems researchers to study because it is affected by an IT artifact (the design of the user interface). Laptops and desktop computers use full-size physical keyboards. However, users are increasingly adopting mobile devices, which provide either miniature physical keypads or touchscreens for entering authentication credentials. The difference in interface design affects the ease of correctly entering authentication credentials. Thus, the move to use of mobile devices to access systems provides an opportunity to study the effects of the user interface on authentication behaviors. We extend existing process models of secure behaviors to explain what influences their (dis)continuance. We conduct a longitudinal field experiment to test our predictions and find that the user interface does affect login success rates. In turn, poor performance (login failures) leads to discontinuance of a secure behavior and the adoption of less-secure behaviors. In summary, we find that a process model reveals important insights about how the IT artifact leads people to (dis)continue secure behaviors.
Product Market Competition and Internal Governance: Evidence from the Sarbanes–Oxley Act
Authors: Chhaochharia Vidhi , Grinstein Yaniv , Grullon Gustavo , Michaely Roni
Published: May 2016

We use the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) as a quasi-natural experiment to examine the link between product market competition and internal governance mechanisms. Consistent with the notion that competition plays an important role in aligning incentives within the firm, SOX has led to a larger improvement in the operation of firms in concentrated industries than in nonconcentrated industries. Furthermore, within concentrated industries, the effect is especially pronounced among firms with weaker governance mechanisms prior to SOX. We corroborate these findings using two additional regulatory changes in the United States and abroad. Overall, our results indicate that corporate governance is more important when firms face less product market competition.

This paper was accepted by Itay Goldstein, finance.
An Optimization View of Financial Systemic Risk Modeling: Network Effect and Market Liquidity Effect
Authors: Chen Nan , Liu Xin , Yao David D.
Published: May 2016

Financial institutions are interconnected directly by holding debt claims against each other (the network channel), and they are also bound by the market when selling assets to raise cash in distressful circumstances (the liquidity channel). The goal of our study is to investigate how these two channels of risk interact to propagate individual defaults to a systemwide catastrophe. We formulate a constrained optimization problem that incorporates both channels of risk, and exploit the problem structure to generate the solution (to the clearing payment vector) via a partition algorithm. Through sensitivity analysis, we are able to identify two key contributors to financial systemic risk, the network multiplier and the liquidity amplifier, and to discern the qualitative difference between the two, confirming that the market liquidity effect has a great potential to cause systemwide contagion. We illustrate the network and market liquidity effects—in particular, the significance of the latter—in the formation of systemic risk with data from the European banking system. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the effectiveness of certain policy interventions. In addition, our algorithm can be used to pin down the changes of the net worth (marked to market) of each bank in the system as the spillover effect spreads, so as to estimate the extent of contagion, and to provide a metric of financial resilience as well. Our framework can also be easily extended to incorporate the effect of bankruptcy costs.
Are we preparing pupils for puberty early enough?
Authors: Feuchtwang Anna
Published: May 2016

Young people say that they are learning too little, too late to prepare them for puberty and adolescence. Anna Feuchtwang looks at how schools can get it right
An overview of limb deformities in foals
Authors: Watson Rebecca
Published: May 2016

Rebecca Watson, MSc RVN looks at common limb deformities encountered in the foal, the appropriate treatments and potential outcomes
Use observations to connect with their ideas
Authors: Clarke Jenni
Published: May 2016

Jenni Clarke continues her series exploring sustained shared thinking through investigations. This time she focuses on practical ways to record conversations and use them as a tool to extend children's learning.
All about our pets
Authors: Williams Brenda
Published: May 2016

Pets are a favourite subject with young children and discussions linked to Brenda Williams’ poem can encourage them to understand animal facts while also developing their own imaginative ideas.
Be honest about it
Authors: Doyle Phoebe
Published: May 2016

As children develop language skills they can develop a propensity to exaggerate and sometimes even tell fibs. Pheobe Doyle provides some insights into how parents and practitioners can deal with this.
A lot to build on
Authors: Hewson Claire
Published: May 2016

Lego continues to evolve as an open-ended resource which appeals to girls and boys of all ages. Claire Hewson suggests ways to link it to Channel Five's popular animated programme, Pip Ahoy!
Dough with a twist
Authors: Clarke Jenni
Published: May 2016

Jenni Clarke explores how playdough can be linked to physical development with a focus on adding Indian spices, colour and sparkle, to promote children's fine motor skills and appreciation of colour.
Coral Reefs: Challenges, Opportunities and Evolutionary Strategies for Surviving Climate Change in the Caribbean
Authors: Mahabir Ron
Published: May 2016

Coral reefs are some one of the most diverse marine ecosystems on Earth. They are renowned hotspots of species biodiversity and provide home to a large array of marine plants and animals. Over the past 100 years in many tropical regions sea surface temperatures have increased by almost 1°C and are currently increasing at about 1–2°C per century. Corals have very specific thermal thresholds beyond which their temperature sensitive symbiot Zooxanthellae becomes affected and causes corals to bleach. Mass bleaching has already caused significant losses to live coral in many parts of the world. This paper looks at the key role that temperature plays in affecting the health and spatial distribution of coral in the Caribbean. The relationship between coral and symbiot is examined, in addition to some of the evolutionary strategies necessary to ensure the future survival of coral with changing climate.
A Deconstructive Approach to Class Meetings: Managing Conflict and Building Learning Communities
Authors: Kecskemeti Maria , Kaveney Kathleen , Gray Sheridan , Drewery Wendy
Published: May 2016

When the quality of teacher-student and student-student relationships is undermined by conflicts, classrooms can become unwelcoming environments that are not conducive to teaching and learning. Circle conversations are widely utilized in response to such conflicts as well as for academic and community-building purposes. In this article, we introduce a form of circle conversation, which we have termed deconstructive class meeting. We developed this specific meeting format in a New Zealand secondary school drawing on local, indigenous processes of community conversation, discourse theory and narrative therapy. The structure of our meeting is deliberately designed to support the simultaneous achievement of two, seemingly contradictory objectives: conflict resolution and community building. We argue that when teachers and students collaboratively examine the power of ideas or discourses of learning not only alternatives to problematic practices become available, but learning communities and relationships are strengthened also.
Narrative Conflict Coaching
Authors: Winslade John , Pangborn Ashley
Published: May 2016

Conflict coaching is a relatively new concept, derived from the domain of executive coaching. The concept has gained a foothold in the conflict resolution literature.  There have been references made to a narrative practice of conflict coaching but it has not been articulated as fully as it might be.  Here we seek to describe such a practice in relation to Foucault’s concept of the care of the self and Deleuze’s concept of the event.  We also outline Deleuze’s approach to the reading of time as chronos and aion and show how these different readings might be put to use.  A set of guidelines for narrative conflict coaching are proposed and transcribed conversation is provided as a case study to illustrate the process in action.  In this conversation, the conflict coach asks questions which lead the client through an exploration of the series of events that make up the conflict story, the externalizing and deconstructing of this conflict story, and the opening of a counter story as a basis for the client’s preferred future conduct in relation to the conflict.
Modeling the Propensity to Default on Microloans in Mali, Africa
Authors: Norgaard Julia R.
Published: May 2016

Microfinance is a global phenomenon that is focused on sustainable poverty alleviation.  By providing people in developing countries with the capital to sustain themselves and an educational background on which to build their futures, microfinance institutions (MFIs) have given the poor an opportunity to get out of poverty.  For the purposes of this study, a specific MFI in Mali Africa was utilized to model the propensity for micro-borrowers to default on their loans.  Using the MFI’s historical data on each of their loans, this study models the repayment percentage of individual loans, contingent upon qualitative and quantitative factors.  Employing an Ordinary Least Squares Model I am able to analyze how each independent factor influences default rates.  I also harness fuzzy analysis to group together factors that contribute to high default rates.  I hypothesize that high default rates were encouraged by a longer time between payments, a large initial loan size, business development in investment heavy industries, and starting a business in a hostile market environment.  By utilizing these results, the MFI can optimize its loan repayment success by targeting specific borrowers and modifying their loan structure. The purpose of this study is to provide the Mali MFI with tangible results that they can utilize to increase their loaning effectiveness.  This model is important because microfinance is a relatively new field and 3it seeks to improve the Mali MFI’s poverty alleviating capacity.
Growth Differentiation Factor 15, Its 12-Month Relative Change, and Risk of Cardiovascular Events and Total Mortality in Patients with Stable Coronary Heart Disease: 10-Year Follow-up of the KAROLA Study
Authors: Dallmeier Dhayana , Brenner Hermann , Mons Ute , Rottbauer Wolfgang , Koenig Wolfgang , Rothenbacher Dietrich
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUND

This study considered whether baseline concentrations and 12-month changes of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) are associated with subsequent cardiovascular events (CVEs) and total mortality in patients with stable coronary heart disease.

METHODS

Baseline GDF-15 serum concentrations were measured in 1073 participants in a cardiac rehabilitation program (median follow-up 10 years). GDF-15 associations with subsequent CVE and total mortality were evaluated by Cox-proportional hazards models adjusting for well-established cardiovascular risk factors (Model 2), plus N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide, high-sensitivity (hs) CRP, and hs cardiac troponin T (Model 3).

RESULTS

In our study population [84.7% men, mean age 59 years, median baseline GDF-15 1232 ng/L (interquartile range, 916, 1674)] we observed 190 CVE and 162 deaths. Compared to participants with GDF-15 <1200 ng/L, increased risk for death was found in participants with GDF-15 ≥1200 and ≤1800 ng/L [hazard ratio (HR) 1.68 (95% CI, 1.08–2.62)] and with GDF-15 >1800 ng/L [HR 1.73 (1.02–2.94)], even in Model 3. The 12-month relative median change was −16.7%. As compared to participants with 12-month relative changes between −20% and 20%, GDF-15 increments >20% were associated with: a) an HR of 1.84 (1.04–3.26) for CVE in Model 2, but found nonsignificant in Model 3; (b) an HR of 2.26 (1.32–3.86) for death even in Model 3.

CONCLUSIONS

GDF-15 at baseline is independently associated with subsequent CVE and 10-year total mortality. Twelve-month relative changes remained associated with subsequent CVE when adjusting for well-established cardiovascular risk factors, and with total mortality even after further adjustment for established cardiac biomarkers.
Aliança Estratégica entre Academia e Jornalismo uma discussão em marcha no Labform
Authors: Coelho Pedro
Published: May 2016

Este artigo parte do debate vivo que se aloja no espaço virtual, acondicionadonum blog dedicado à formação académica em jornalismo. A partir dessa discussão levantamos as grandes questões associadas ao percurso ideal para se chegar a uma das mais complexas profissões da humanidade, trespassada, por um lado, pela crise de sustentabilidade do jornalismo, ampliada pelos efeitos da tecnologia digital, por outro, pela indefinição da própria academia. A comunicação adquiriu o estatuto de disciplina académica há quase quatro décadas, mas o jornalismo, uma das áreas nobres do campo, ainda tarda em encontrar um lugar de acolhimento.
Percursos da formação superior do jornalismo radiofónico em Portugal
Authors: Bonixe Luís
Published: May 2016

A rádio, e em particular o jornalismo radiofónico, atravessa um período de mudanças decorrentes da emergência de um paradigma comunicacional dominado pela tecnologia e, em especial, pela Internet. Os jornalistas da rádio confrontam-se, por essa via, com novas práticas, rotinas e modos de produção gerando desafios também ao nível da sua própria formação. Nesse contexto, qual o papel reservado à formação superior em jornalismo e, em particular, qual o espaço para o jornalismo radiofónico nessa formação? O presente artigo pretende dar um contributo para uma reflexão sobre o percurso que está a ser percorrido em Portugal em relação à formação superior de jornalismo radiofónico.
iNOVA Media Lab: do “choque de futuro” a um ecossistema de inovação digital
Authors: Vicente Paulo Nuno
Published: May 2016

Partindo de sinais que evidenciam um “choque de futuro” no ensino superiordos media e do jornalismo em Portugal, este artigo identifica o problema de uma intermediação quebrada entre a sala de aula, as unidades de investigação, as comunidades locais e a indústria. Assume-se o lugar e a cultura experimental do laboratório, aqui representado pelo iNOVA Media Lab, como uma zona de troca que opera objectos de fronteira. Propõe-se que este tipo organizacional híbrido está, assim, vocacionado para práticas de “translação” e atribui-se à Universidade um renovado papel social: o de corporizar uma intermediação de confiança.
Um Contributo Para O Ensino Da Edição De Imagem De Conteúdos Noticiosos Televisivos Para Jornalistas
Authors: Canelas Carlos
Published: May 2016

Na era da convergência digital, são exigidas novas competências aos profissionais da informação. No caso do jornalismo televisivo, presentemente, os jornalistas desempenham funções/tarefas que, ainda há pouco tempo, eram apenas realizadas por profissionais altamente especializados, como seja a edição de imagem de conteúdos informativos. Perante esta realidade, os estabelecimentos do ensino superior, Universidades e Politécnicos, que preparam os futuros jornalistas, devem responder às novas necessidades formativas. Neste sentido, através do presente artigo, pretendemos propor algumas recomendações, no campo do ensino da edição de imagem de conteúdos informativos televisivos, que possam conduzir a uma melhoria do desempenho dos futuros jornalistasde televisão no exercício desta função/ tarefa.
“A New Day Has Dawned for the UNIA”: Garveyism, the Diasporic Midwest, and West Africa, 1920–80
Authors: McDuffie Erik S.
Published: May 2016

This article examines the diasporic political linkages between the U.S. Midwest and West Africa through the largely unknown encounters of James R. Stewart, William L. Sherrill, and Clarence W. Harding, Jr., on the continent. They were leaders in the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) founded by Jamaican black nationalist Marcus Garvey. During its heyday in the early 1920s, the UNIA claimed six million members worldwide, including in the American heartland and West Africa. Stewart of Cleveland, Ohio, emigrated to Liberia in 1949. Sherrill of Detroit, Michigan, attended the 1957 independence ceremonies in Ghana, whereas Harding of Chicago, Illinois, moved to Liberia in 1966 and built a dynamic, grassroots Garvey movement in the West African nation. Their sojourns to the continent extend the analytical, geographic, and temporal parameters of the history of West Africa and the black diaspora through tracing the transnational linkages between the American heartland and continent, the gendered contours and paradoxes of Pan-Africanism, and the endurance and uneven results of Garveyism in Africa from the 1920s through the 1970s.
Nowcasting Turkish GDP and News Decomposition
Authors: Modugno Michele , Soybilgen Baris , Yazgan Ege
Published: May 2016

Real gross domestic product (GDP) data in Turkey are released with a very long delay compared with other economies, between 10 and 13 weeks after the end of the reference quarter. To infer the current state of the economy, policy makers, media, and market practitioners examine data that are more timely, that are released at higher frequencies than the GDP. In this paper, we propose an econometric model that automatically allows us to read through these more current and higher-frequency data and translate them into nowcasts for the Turkish real GDP. Our model outperforms nowcasts produced by the Central Bank of Turkey, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Moreover, our model allows us to quantify the importance of each variable in our dataset in nowcasting Turkish real GDP. In line with findings for other economies, we find that real variables play the most important role; however, contrary to the findings for other economies, we find that financial variables are as important as surveys.
Esponjas de água doce na América do Sul: o estado da arte da produção científica no Brasil
Authors: Kalinovsk Elaine Cristina Zavadovski , Parolin Mauro , Souza Filho Edvard Elias
Published: May 2016

Este trabalho apresenta atualização bibliográfica da produção científica envolvendo a fauna de esponjas continentais na América do Sul, destacando os estudos efetuados no Brasil. Para isso foi realizado o levantamento das principais pesquisas que tratam do registro das ocorrências de esponjas de água doce, e daquelas sobre a utilização de suas espículas silicosas, preservadas em depósitos sedimentares, como dado proxy em estudos de reconstrução paleoambiental. Os estudos encontram-se relativamente mais desenvolvidos na região Centro-Sul e Norte do país. No entanto, fica evidente a necessidade de pesquisas mais abrangentes e intensivas na descrição de espécies atuais e de identificação em sequências sedimentares.
Worlded Object and its Presentation: A Māori philosophy of language
Authors: Mika Carl Te Hira
Published: May 2016

In an era concerned with the survival of Indigenous languages, language as a general phenomenon needs to be thought of as thoroughly connected to one's worldview. In this article, I propose a different conception of language that sides more with what I call ‘the worlding of things’ than linguistics. To foreshadow my speculations on language, I consider the possibility that, within the representation of one entity in perception, there exist all other entities. An entity is hence ‘worlded'—a key aspect of the term ‘whakapapa’. I then turn to think about language as a general phenomenon for Māori, and its complex ability to world an entity even as it adumbrates that thing's backdrop. I consider the verb ‘to be’ in that light, arguing that Māori identify language as a sort of gathering of entities rather than an instrument for singling out one thing as thoroughly and separably evident. This article is therefore as much about the full participation of the world as it is about language; it also aims to counter the belief that language is merely a conveyor of ideas.
An Empirical Study on the Impact of Advertising on Buying Behaviour
Authors: Sandhe Ashutosh
Published: May 2016

Advertising plays a vital role in a competitive era. With all major and minor players in the market trying to impress the „lord of the market‟, the consumer, advertising becomes an important tool among others in trying to persuade the consumer to buy a particular brand. Whether new or old, market leader or new entrant, everyone has an advertising strategy. However, over the years, doubts have been raised on the effectiveness of advertising and its impact on consumers. In a lot of cases, the impact of advertising has found to be negligible and also to an extent negative since, people believe that advertisements is all about half-truth and full lies. Also, the lack of legal enforcements meant that advertisers could exaggerate the features and performance of their offering to such an extent that people lost faith in message. However, there are some messages, which are still valued. This research paper intends to study the impact of advertisements on peoples‟ buying behavior. How much belief is there in the advertisements, what is the attitude towards advertisements and overall impact of advertisements? For this purpose a sample size of 500 respondents from across Gujarat was targeted and data was collected through a structured questionnaire.