bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Refugees and the (Digital) Gatekeepers of “Fortress Europe”
Authors: Franklin M.I.
Published: September 2018

This contribution addresses an emergent research agenda for critical theory and research into state crime in the context of two domains in which state and non-state actors are reinventing their terms of engagement, roles and responsibilities under international law: (1) governments' responses to the suffering of the thousands dying at sea on the doorstep of the EU and (2) the cyberspatial dimensions to border enforcement and related practices of surveillance and cybersecurity measures from the perspective of how human rights are rendered in digital, networked contexts. Drawing on reconsiderations of Foucault's thought on the underlying schizoid tendencies of modern statecraft, I argue that identifying perpetrators of state crime and the related embedding of mass online surveillance lie at the epicentre of how critical scholars, activists, and judiciaries consider the ways that people use digital and networked devices and systems and how these can be used to undermine fundamental rights and freedoms, not only of millions of forcibly displaced persons but also those of all “netizens”. The article concludes by considering where openings for (digital) resistance lie in the face of these shifting constellations of state/non-state “collectives” as they patrol the online–offline nexus of contemporary borderzones.
Reflections on Digital Technologies, Repression, and Resistance: Epilogue
Authors: Gohdes Anita R.
Published: September 2018

None
Digging into care practices: the confrontation of care ethics with qualitative empirical and theoretical developments in the Low Countries, 2007–17
Authors: Vosman Frans , Timmerman Guus , Baart Andries
Published: September 2018

The article starts with a brief sketch of the current state of care ethics in the Dutch-speaking Low Countries. It examines more closely the authors’ approach to empirical research and its underlying argument, and sketches a theoretical development in care ethics that they deem promising. An oscillating movement is needed between empirical work and theory development, committing both to each other. The article concludes with some remarks on the need in care ethics for multisided international debates, the empirical grounding of normative claims and the radicalisation of care ethics, loyal to its critical insights and dedicated to its transformational aim.
Engaging men as fathers and caregivers: an entry point to advancing women’s empowerment and rights
Authors: Sand Joni van de , Belbase Laxman , Nolan Sinéad
Published: September 2018

Engaging men and boys to do unpaid care work is key to achieving gender justice. This article argues that caregiving programmes with men can be effective and serve as an entry point to engage men as allies for feminist agendas. There is a need to increase the uptake and scale-up of such initiatives, while ensuring quality, local contextualisation and ownership, and full accountability to women and girls. Furthermore, such programmes must be connected with efforts to advance women’s economic empowerment and rights, challenge social norms around caregiving, transform institutions, and be combined with progressive national policies to recognise, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work.
Book Reviews
Authors: Garcia-Arcicollar Àfrica Bauzà , Lupton Katherine
Published: September 2018

Dwelling in the Age of Climate Change: The Ethics of Adaptation, Elaine Kelly (2018) Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 224 pp., ISBN: 9781474422987, e-Book, £75.00

Marketing for Tourism, Hospitality and Events: A Global and Digital Approach, Simon Hudson and Louise Hudson (2017) London: Sage, 387 pp., ISBN: 978-1-4739-2664-6, p/bk, £44.99
Unnaturalness of Hajj narratives: We-narrative and narrating performative collective subjectivity
Authors: Chenganakkattil Muhamed Riyaz
Published: September 2018

This article explores the performative aspects of Hajj and resultant collective subjectivity. It is attempted to theorize the collective nature of Hajj and collective subjectivity in the narratives of Hajj performance looking at the narratives written on Hajj and its experiences by Hajjis. It investigates the use of we-narrative, mainly found in the narratives of Hajj, which is probably used to evoke the feeling of community and collectivity in the readers or in the writer-performer himself or herself. It is argued that collective subjectivity is constructed through the narratives to display the collective character of Hajj. This kind of narrative process is seldom considered to be a part of conventional narrative structures and here it is categorized under the rubric of ‘unnatural narrative’. The exclusive character of we-narrative, as in Hajj narratives, has been considered for further analysis and an attempt has been made to conceptualize ‘we-narrator’ and ‘we-narrator’ under pertinent philosophical questions of ‘intentionality’ and ‘collective action’ and it is further made complex by taking them up in the narratological discussion on how to narrate the collective actions and what kind of persons can be used to capture the essence of the performance of ritual, Hajj pilgrimage as in case of this article.
The Qur’ānic recitation traditions of the Tatars and Bashkirs in Russia: Evolution of style
Authors: Imamutdinova Zilia
Published: September 2018

This article for the first time discusses the evolution of the Russian Turkic (Tatar and Bashkir) Qur’ānic recitation tradition as an integral phenomenon and, in parallel, identifies the differences in these two ethno-regional forms, provides the historical context to enable an understanding of the nature of changes, describes its development stages and outlines the specifics of professional and non-professional forms of the Qur’ānic recitation by Tatars and Bashkirs in terms of ethnical background and relations with the classical Arabic tradition. It summarizes the unique facts found in historical and other scientific sources, field research materials (interviews, audio and video records) and the results of the author’s scientific research for more than 25 years. Music notation and computer graphs are used for illustrative purposes.
Vegetative propagation of Rhaphiodon echinus Schauer (Lamiaceae): effects of the period of cutting in rooting, cuttings arrangement and IBA concentrations for seedlings production
Authors: Costa Junior Euvaldo De Sousa , Barbosa Mayara Suzane de Melo , Silva Cândida Maria Anjos da , Silva Raíra Carine Santana da , Kiill Lucia Helena Piedade , Beckmann-Cavalcante Márkilla Zunete
Published: September 2018

One of the tendencies in the floriculture sector, whether in modern landscaping or floral art, is related to the insertion of innovations in the sector, mainly of native origin. For this it is necessary to establish strategies that favor the introduction of these materials. Among the species that present ornamental potential, Rhaphiodon echinus Schauer has been outstanding for groundcover; however it is necessary to establish the proper propagation protocol for the species. In this sense, the objective was to evaluate the vegetative propagation process of this species considering the period of cutting in rooting, cuttings arrangement and IBA concentrations for seedlings production. The experiment was carried out in a sub-split plots scheme with the period of cutting in rooting in the plots (30 and 60 days), the cuttings arrangement (horizontal and vertical) in the subplots and the IBA concentrations (0; 1,000; 2,000 and 4,000 ppm) in sub-subplots. The following variables were evaluated: survival cuttings, percentage of rooted cuttings, number of sprouts per cuttings, average length of the largest root, root volume, shoot dry biomass and root dry biomass. There was a significant interaction between the period of cutting in rooting and the cuttings arrangement for survival cuttings and rooted cuttings; between the period of cutting in rooting and the concentration of IBA for shoot dry and between the cuttings arrangement and concentration and IBA for the percentage of rooted cuttings, number of sprouts per cuttings and root dry biomass. For average length of the largest root and root volume there was a significant effect for period of cutting in rooting and IBA concentrations individually. The period of cutting in rooting of 30 days is the most suitable for rooting the cuttings. In relation of the cuttings arrangement the most indicated is vertical. Finally, the concentration of 1,000 ppm of IBA can be indicated for the propagation of R. echinus by the cutting process.
Growth and nutrient uptake by potted foliage anthurium
Authors: Taniguchi Carlos Alberto Kenji , Castro Ana Cecilia , Artur Adriana Guirado , Martins Thaís Da Silva , Araújo Esraelda Amaral
Published: September 2018

Nutrient uptake study is important to understand the plant nutritional requirements during its growth and to identify periods of increased nutrient demand and, thus to establish fertilization program. The objective was to determine the growth and the nutrient uptake by potted foliage anthurium. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse and the experimental design was completely randomized with ten times of plant sampling (0; 30; 60; 90; 120; 150; 180; 240; 300; and 360 days after transplanting) and five replicates. Anthurium maricense Nadruz & Mayo seeds were germinated in polyethylene trays filled with commercial substrate and the seedlings were transplanted into plastic pots (1.16 L capacity) when reached four leaves. Plant height, leaf number and foliar area were determined every sampling. Blades with petioles, stem, inflorescence and roots were collected and dry mass and nutrients accumulation were determined. Foliage anthurium plants showed initial development but from the 180 days of planting, which corresponds with the beginning of the inflorescence emission, there was a marked increase in height, leaf area, and dry mass and nutrient accumulation. Nutrient accumulation after 360 DAT followed the decreasing order: K > Ca > N > Mg > P > S > Mn> Fe > Zn > B > Cu.
Academic degrees in the Polish People’s Republic. Part 1. Lower academic degrees
Authors: Wojtczak Krystyna
Published: September 2018

In the period researched in this article (1947–1990) the principles of awarding academic degrees were far from stable (or uniform). What is more, difference between individual degrees were of multiple character. In the initial years shortly after the Polish People’s Republic was formed, a lower academic degree was award ed to every higher school graduate. From 1951on this term referred to degrees awarded to science candidates, and as of 1958 to a degree of a doctor. Secondly, the requirements needed to be satisﬁed in order to qualify for individual degrees differed and were changing. Thirdly, on and off there were instances where ex emptions were made from the generally binding principles governing awarding of academic degrees, especially in the case of a science candidate and a doctor. Those exemptions, or exceptional treatment, was justiﬁed by a reference to an exceptional case. Fourthly, lower academic degrees could not always be obtained in every discipline, and the list of the discipline that qualiﬁed candidates for a degree was neither closed nor stable. Fifthly, the rights granted to scientiﬁc councils of institutions of higher education, and later to scientiﬁc councils of units operating within the Polish Academy of Sciences as well, were also changing, mostly to meet the conditions and requirements which those unites were obliged to fulﬁl. Sixthly, depending on the role and position of other bodies or organs involved in the process (the minister competent for schools of higher education, the Main Council of Higher Education, or the Central Qualiﬁcations Committee) their say and role was also changing. For the sake of a certain simpliﬁcation, it may be stated that solutions adopted as a result of the reforms of 1947 and 1951were comparable, while those implemented in subsequent years, particularly by acts on higher education of 1958, 1982 and 1985 and the act of 1965 on academic degrees and scientiﬁc titles as later amended, differed considerably from earlier solutions. The assessment, from a legal point of view, of the conditions of awarding lower academic degrees in the period researched would, however, have been incom- plete if the organisation of doctoral studies as well as the manner of their delivery leading to the preparation and submission of a doctoral dissertation by a degree candidate, had been examined as well. This issue will be the subject of the second part of this article.
Glosa do wyroku Naczelnego Sądu Administracyjnego z dnia 14 kwietnia 2015 r., sygn. I FSK 1493/14
Authors: Kosiński Eryk , Trela Anna
Published: September 2018

Glosa do wyroku Naczelnego Sądu Administracyjnego z dnia 14 kwietnia 2015 r., sygn. I FSK 1493/14
Electrochemical and Phase Analysis of Si(IV) on Fe Electrode in Molten NaCl-NaF-KCl-SiO2 System
Authors: Li Hui , Liang Jinglong , Xie Shanshan , Reddy Ramana G. , Wang Lanqing
Published: September 2018

The electrochemical behaviour of Si(IV) ions on Fe electrode in the NaCl-NaF-KCl-SiO2 molten salt system (0.177 mol·L−1 SiO2) at 1,103 K was studied by using cyclic voltammetry, square wave voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and chronopotentiometry．Experiments conducted using the first two methods indicated that the reduction of Si(IV) occurred in two steps: Si(IV) → Si(II) → Si(0). Furthermore, the electrochemical reaction is a quasi-reversible process, which is controlled by both the ion diffusion and electron transport rates. The electrochemical crystallization of Si was found to be a transient, the three-dimensional nucleation process. The cyclic voltammetry curves indicate that the diffusion coefficient of Si(IV) is 1.16×10–5 cm2·s−1. The phases formed on the surface of the deposit were analysed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometer. The results show that Fe and Si have formed intermetallic compounds Fe3Si, FeSi, and Fe5Si3.
Cord blood nucleated red blood cell level: is it a predictive marker for neonatal jaundice?
Authors: Orhon Alper , Topal Hatice , Hakan Nilay , Ozer Esra Arun
Published: September 2018

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate if the cord blood nucleated red blood cell (nRBC) levels can predict the development of hyperbilirubinemia in healthy neonates.

Methods

All healthy newborn infants born after 35 or more weeks of gestation at our hospital between January 2016 and April 2017 were included. The levels of nRBC were counted in umbilical cord blood samples. Neonates were grouped into two study groups based on the presence or absence of neonatal jaundice.

Results

The study included overall 149 eligible newborn infants. The levels of nRBC and absolute nRBC count showed statistically significant differences between newborns with or without jaundice (p=0.01 and 0.02, respectively).

Conclusions

We suggest that increased nRBC counts in cord blood may be a predictive marker for hyperbilirubinemia in healthy newborn infants.
Documentation of coins via Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI)
Authors: Plzák Jindřich
Published: September 2018

The Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) recently represents widely used method for documentation of archaeological artifacts and research in this field. The RTI creates digital presentation of images from sequence of snaps with lighting from different directions. Information about lighting from this group of images is mathematically synthesized in a RTI image which can help the user to illuminate interactively the object surface and improve the final image in significant details. The RTI method is very successful in improving details of badly preserved coins, sometimes illegible for the first sight.
Commemorative coins issued in 2016
Authors: Vicherová Šárka
Published: September 2018

The Czech National Bank issued six commemorative coins in 2016. They are represented by three silver 200-crown pieces celebrating the following anniversaries: the 125th anniversary of the General Land Centennial Exhibition, the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Hradec Králové and the 450th birth anniversary of Jan Jessenius. Another issue is represented by one silver 500-crown piece celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak National Council. The first two gold commemorative 5000-crown pieces from the new cycle called ‘Castles’ were produced: the ‘Kost’ Castle and the ‘Bezděz’ Castle. The Castles gold coin cycle is the fourth five-year cycle of gold coins the CNB has issued since 2001. The first, “Ten Centuries of Architecture”, comprising ten 2000-crown coins, was issued between 2001 and 2005. It was followed by the “Industrial Heritage Sites” cycle in 2006–2010 (ten 2500-crown coins). In 2011–2015 ten 5000-crown coins were issued in the Bridges cycle.
Factors Influencing Mitigation Strategies for Autogenous Shrinkage
Authors: Mohr B. J. , Hood K. L.
Published: September 2018

This research aims to answer several outstanding questions that must be addressed before internal curing materials can be commonly used in structural concrete. The wide range of possibilities for internal curing material properties can dramatically alter the effectiveness of internal curing. The research presented here investigates some of the more important material properties, such as desorption rate, absorption capacity, and distribution/protected paste volume, and the synergistic relationship between properties as related to reductions in autogenous deformation and the effects on mortar compressive strength. The estimated degree of hydration is an effective method to evaluate the efficiency of an internal curing material. However, effects on mechanical properties are not considered. Thus, in addition to the degree of hydration measurements, the relative changes of compressive strength that are due to internal curing material incorporation should always be investigated. The desorption rate of an internal curing material should match the self-desiccation profile of a high-performance cementitious mix as much as possible. Perlite lightweight fine aggregates had a prolonged desorption rate (up to 14 days), such that the aggregate’s effectiveness at mitigating autogenous shrinkage was minimized. In this case, the quantities of internal curing materials added to a particular mixture should be adjusted to account only for the water desorbed within the self-desiccation period (approximately 5–7 days). Expanded shale lightweight fine aggregates appeared to be the most effective internal curing material investigated in this research based on improvements to the degree of hydration and negligible effects on compressive strength.
Absorption and Desorption of Superabsorbent Polymers for Use in Internally Cured Concrete
Authors: Montanari Luca , Suraneni Prannoy , Chang Marisol Tsui , Villani Chiara , Weiss Jason
Published: September 2018

Superabsorbent polymers (SAP) have been investigated as an additive for use in the manufacture of internally cured concrete. The ability of SAP to absorb and desorb fluid is important for the design of internally cured concrete mixtures. Internal curing research on lightweight aggregates (LWA) has typically focused on the absorption of water in the LWA internal curing agent. However, when SAP is used, the absorption test should be performed using a pore solution with a defined ionic concentration. To address the effect of the ionic composition of the pore solution on SAP absorption, pore solutions were extracted from fresh cementitious pastes, and their composition was evaluated using X-ray fluorescence. This study characterizes the absorption and desorption of a commercially available SAP, using both simulated and extracted pore solutions with a range of ionic concentrations. The teabag method was implemented to measure the absorption of the SAP. As expected, the absorption of the SAP decreased in solutions with higher ionic concentrations. In addition to studying solutions extracted from ordinary portland cement pastes, the effects of the inclusion of supplementary cementitious materials on the SAP absorption were studied. Results showed that the inclusion of supplementary cementitious materials had a relatively minor impact on the SAP absorption, primarily due to a dilution of the ionic concentration of the pore solution. This article examined the desorption of the SAP in two conditions: a reduction in the ambient relative humidity and after exposure of the SAP to solutions with a higher ionic concentration. It was observed that SAP-containing solutions with a higher ionic concentration had a reduced rate of desorption and a reduced overall desorption at a given relative humidity. In addition, moving the SAP from a solution with a lower ionic concentration to a more highly concentrated solution resulted in desorption. An equation was developed that expresses the SAP absorption as a function of the pH of the soaking solution. The expression was used to predict the desorption of SAP due to an increase in the ionic concentrations in a hydrating system. This equation was used to show that the desorption of SAP due to changes in the pore solution ionic concentration were significant during the first 72 hours. The findings and the techniques used in this study are meant to be used as an example for the characterization of SAP in concrete internal curing applications.
TÜKETİME HAZIR MİDYE DOLMALARIN MİKROBİYOLOJİK KALİTELERİNİN BELİRLENMESİ
Authors: Öztürk Fatma , Gündüz Hatice
Published: September 2018

Bu çalışma İzmir’de satışa sunulan midye dolmaların
mikrobiyel kalitesini belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Bu amaçla, 10 farklı
bölgeden 50 farklı satıcıdan alınan midye dolmalarda toplam aerop mezofil
bakteri (TAMB), toplam maya-küf (TMK), toplam koliform ve Staphylococcus
aureus sayısı araştırılmıştır. Çalışma sonunda midye dolmalardaki TAMB
sayısının 2.8-6.82; TMK sayısının <2.00-4.81; koliform sayısının
<2.00-5.43 ve Staphylococcus aureus sayısının <2.00-5.04
log KOB/g arasında değiştiği belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca midye dolmaların % 8’inin 5
log KOB/g’nin üzerinde TAMB sayısına sahip olduğu ve mikrobiyal kalitesinin
düşük olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bu sebeple özellikle tüketime hazır gıdaların
üretimi, dağıtımı ve satışı sırasında çapraz kontaminasyonu önlemeye yönelik
çabaların arttırılması ve özellikle personel hijyenine gereken önemin verilmesi
gerekmektedir.
Preoperative treatment with metyrapone in patients with Cushing’s syndrome due to adrenal adenoma: a pilot prospective study
Authors: Puglisi Soraya , Perotti Paola , Barbot Mattia , Cosio Paolo , Scaroni Carla , Stigliano Antonio , Lardo Pina , Morelli Valentina , Polledri Elisa , Chiodini Iacopo , Reimondo Giuseppe , Pia Anna , Terzolo Massimo
Published: September 2018

Objective

Metyrapone has been approved for the treatment of patients with Cushing’s syndrome (CS), but only few retrospective clinical studies are available. The aim of our study was the prospective assessment of metyrapone as pre-operative treatment.

Design and methods

Before adrenalectomy, seven patients with ACTH-independent CS due to adrenal adenoma were prospectively treated with metyrapone for 3 months in three tertiary academic centers, with endocrine work-up and clinical evaluation at screening and at predefined evaluation time points (Days 14, 31, 48, 65, 82).

Results

In all patients, UFC levels decreased up to normal range from baseline to Day 82 (609 (188–1476) vs 69 (28–152) nmol/24 h, P < 0.02), with a reduction of serum and salivary cortisol levels, and no significant increase of plasma ACTH and serum DHEAS levels. Clinical improvement was reported on quality of life (+16.7 (+4.2; +52.00) points, P < 0.04) and pressure control (systolic pressure, −25 (−52; −10) mmHg, P < 0.01; diastolic pressure, −16 (−50; +2 mmHg), P < 0.03). No significant change in weight, electrolytes, glycemic and lipid profile was reported. Although in women a significant increase of testosterone and androstenedione was reported, no worsening of clinical hyperandrogenism was observed. All drug-related adverse events (nausea, fatigue, low grade fever, edema of lower limbs and facial rash) were grade 1 or 2 and generally transient.

Conclusions

This prospective pilot study demonstrated that metyrapone is effective in normalizing biochemical and clinical parameters in patients with CS due to adrenal adenoma before surgical intervention, with minimal side effects.
Emergence of a latent TSHoma pituitary macroadenoma on a background of primary autoimmune hypothyroidism
Authors: Yap Yew Wen , Ball Steve , Qureshi Zubair
Published: September 2018

The coexistence of primary hypothyroidism and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-stimulating pituitary macroadenoma can be a rare occurrence and can make diagnosis very challenging. We describe a case of a 44-year-old female with a history of fatigue, poor concentration, weight gain and amenorrhoea together with biochemical evidence of primary autoimmune hypothyroidism. Her initial TSH levels were elevated with low normal free thyroxine (T4) levels. Levothyroxine treatment was initiated and the dose was gradually titrated to supraphysiologic doses. This led to the normalisation of her TSH levels but her free T4 and triiodothyronine (T3) levels remained persistently elevated. This prompted a serum prolactin check which returned elevated at 2495 µ/L, leading onto pituitary imaging. A MRI of the pituitary gland revealed a pituitary macroadenoma measuring 2.4 × 2 × 1.6 cm. Despite starting her on cabergoline therapy with a reduction in her prolactin levels, her TSH levels began to rise even further. Additional thyroid assays revealed that she had an abnormally elevated alpha subunit at 3.95 (age-related reference range <3.00). This corresponded to a thyroid-secreting hormone pituitary macroadenoma. She went on to have a transphenoidal hypophysectomy. Histology revealed tissues staining for TSH, confirming this to be a TSH-secreting pituitary macroadenoma. This case highlighted the importance of further investigations with thyroid assay interferences, heterophile antibodies, alpha subunit testing and anterior pituitary profile in cases of resistant and non-resolving primary hypothyroidism.

Learning points:

Levothyroxine treatment in primary hypothyroidism can potentially unmask the presence of a latent TSH-secreting pituitary macroadenoma, which can make diagnosis very challenging.

A high index of suspicion should prompt clinicians to further investigate cases of primary hypothyroidism which despite increasing doses of levothyroxine treatment with normalisation of TSH, the free T4 and T3 levels remain persistently elevated.

Clinicians should consider investigating for adherence to levothyroxine, thyroid assay interference, heterophile antibodies, TSH dilution studies, alpha subunit and anterior pituitary profile testing to further clarity the diagnosis in these patients.

Although coexistent cases of TSHoma with primary hypothyroidism are rare, it should always be in the list of differential diagnoses in cases of unresolving primary hypothyroidism.
Arms, corruption, and the state: Understanding the role of arms trade corruption in power politics
Authors: Perlo-Freeman Samuel
Published: September 2018

This article discusses patterns of corruption in the arms business around the world. It finds corruption to be widespread, almost ubiquitous in some sectors such as submarines, and affecting developed democracies as recipients as much as other countries. Anti-corruption efforts face severe challenges in proving corruption in highly complex financial cases involving multiple jurisdictions. However, they also face obstruction from exporter governments who are reluctant to prosecute their national defense industry champions so that even where investigations bear fruit, companies tend to receive light treatment. The article argues that corruption in the arms trade is not merely and simply a matter of individual and corporate greed, but is, on the seller’s side, also an element of defense industrial policy as countries seek to maintain advanced technological capabilities in the face of limited domestic demand, widespread international competition, and a buyer’s market. For recipients in buyer, and sometimes also seller, countries, an underemphasized aspect is the role of arms trade corruption as a means of securing political finance by senior politicians involved in decisionmaking. Thus, the practice occupies a systemic role in political competition, complicating efforts to tackle it.
Laparoscopic needle assisted extracorporeal repair of inguinal hernia in children: our experience
Authors: Ferdous Kazi Md Noor-ul , Hasan Md Samiul , Hossain Md Delwar , Alam Md Muhammad Rashedul , Sattar Md Abdus , Islam M Kabirul
Published: September 2018

Purpose: Despite of some controversy, laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia has emerged recently as an alternative technique for open hernia repair in children. Various methods of laparoscopic repair have been described. Basic principle is to close the internal inguinal ring either by intra corporeal or by extracorporeal suturing. This study was done to evaluate our experience in laparoscopic needle assisted extracorporeal repair of inguinal Hernia in Children. Methods: This retrospective study was done in a tertiary Pediatric Surgical center at Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2012 to June 2017. Medical records of the cases who underwent inguinal hernia repaired laparoscopicaly with needle assisted extracorporeal knot were reviewed. The variables to evaluate the patients included: demographics, surgical time, complications, recurrence and follow up time. The cases with incomplete data were excluded. Result: Total 202 hernias of 131 patients underwent laparoscopic assisted extra-corporeal inguinal hernia repairs. Age of the patients at operation was ranged from 1year 3 months to 7 years 8 months. Preoperative diagnosed unilateral hernias were 112 cases. Twenty six (19.9 %) patients found per-operative contra lateral patent procesus virginals. Mean operative time was 21.2 minutes for unilateral and 30.3 minutes for bilateral repair. Six patients developed mild bleeding from needle puncture site, 5 boys developed transient hydroceles and four (1.98%) cases developed recurrences hernia. Mean follow up time was 16.3 months. Conclusion: It can be conclude that Laparoscopic Needle Assisted Extracorporeal repair of Inguinal Hernia is simple, safe, and efficacious for pediatric patients. It can be performed by the surgeons who are in the initial stage of learning laparoscopic surgery.
Brugada Syndrome Associated With Adolescent Loperamide Abuse
Authors: Stefek Bryan , Wolfe L. Timothy , Cohen Mark
Published: September 2018

We present the case of a 14-year-old boy with obesity, hypertension, and chronic loperamide abuse who presented to our facility with symptoms of opioid withdrawal and type 1 Brugada pattern on an electrocardiogram. He was treated for anxiety and withdrawal. There were no documented dysrhythmias. His Brugada pattern resolved by hospital day 5 and remained resolved 12 days postadmission. Genetic testing revealed a heterozygous missense mutation in the SCN5A gene (c. 5038G>A, p. Ala1680Thr), which has been reported in association with Brugada syndrome. To date, there are no published reports of pediatric loperamide use associated with a Brugada pattern on an electrocardiogram. We propose that chronic loperamide use unmasked the electrocardiographic phenotype associated with his gene mutation.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATION: SOCIO-ECONOMIC MONITORING
Authors: Chaikin Oleksandr , Kirieieva Eleonora , Slobodeniuk Oksana
Published: September 2018

Modern ecological issues determine the necessity of new approaches to the implementation of production cycle, which determines the relevance of developing environmental management. The aim of the research is social and economic monitoring and recommendations on the design and implementation of the environmental management system in Ukraine. Research methodology: review of scientific articles (1991–2018), statistics on the number of certificates ISO 14001, GDP dynamics in Ukraine, study of Georgia and EU countries (2006–2016) and comparative analysis based on their correlation. Main research results: the economic and social impact of GDP growth per capita on the number of ecological certificates has been determined using the interpretation of Kuznets curve. In order to stimulate the development of the systems of environmental management certification in Ukraine, it is suggested to use: concessional loans, development of non-formal ecological education, as well as innovation and improvement of the investment policy.
EFFECTS OF MAIZE POLICY REFORM IN NORTHEAST CHINA
Authors: Liu Wenxin , He Xiuli
Published: September 2018

National macro-policy is an important factor affecting the adjustment of farmers' livelihood strategies. It is necessary to analyze the impacts of agricultural change on farmers’ income and livelihood strategy adjustment when new policy is issued. The Northeast Chinais a strategic region that guarantees China's national grain security and is also an important pilot area for implementing national agricultural policies. As a breakthrough point in the present agricultural supply-side structural reform implemented by Chinese government, the reform of maize purchasing and storage system in Northeast China has played a significant role in adjusting the maize price and also exerted a significant influence on the income and family livelihood strategies of some farmers. Given the shifts in maize policy, the purpose of this research is to model farmers’ income change and their livelihood strategy adjustment in Northeast China. In consistence with the macro statistical data, the survey results of 125 questionnaires indicate that the reform of maize purchasing and storage system implemented in 2016 led to the drop of maize price in Northeast China by more than 30% in 2017, and the net income of maize growers in most areas of Northeast China declined by more than 60% compared with the previous year. Faced by the sudden drop in the maize price, 24.2% of maize growers in the surveyed farmers planned to adjust their livelihood strategies in a short term. The changes in livelihood strategies are mainly affected by the indicators of “comparison between income and expenditure” and “satisfaction with income from farming”. Finally, this paper puts forward some suggestions from the aspects of supporting subsidies, guidance for adjustment of family livelihood strategies and training of farmers' vocational skills.
ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE SYSTEMATIZATION OF THE MARKETING RESEARCH FOR RESOURCE CONSERVATION PRACTICE
Authors: Nitsenko Vitalii , Mardani Abbas , Ihor Kuksa , Lyudmila Sudarkina
Published: September 2018

Economic development of agricultural enterprises can provide the implementation of measures aimed at industrial resources conservation. Apart from the need for significant one-time investments that accompany resources’ economy at enterprises, there are no methodological grounds for assessing the effectiveness of the technology of rational resource use. The goal of the research is to develop methodical tools to determine technical and economic parameters for an advanced system of resource-saving measures. The period under investigation is 2014–2016, the number of enterprises under analysis is 96. To define the rules of choosing solutions on the base of games theory, taking into account information and expectations of agrarians, the analysis is performed based on the Laplas, Bayes, Sewidzh and Hurwitz criteria. Calculated values of the enterprises’ potential advantages, represented as an attribute for analytical grouping, allowed to define optimal strategies for designing a policy of production resources conservation. The demonstration partition of the whole set of enterprises is performed according to the suggested methodology. The data obtained as a result of criteria estimation allows us to draw conclusions about the most probable actions of grain producers in the situation of uncertainty, which enables us to identify typical effectiveness parameters of the system and to assess the prospects of the resource conservation policy.
PLANNING OF ENTERPRISE OUTPUT DEMAND IN CASE OF CHANGING MARKETING COSTS ON THE MARKET OF FOOD INDUSTRY
Authors: Solomianiuk Nataliia , Stetsenko Viktoriia , Stepanchuk Svitlana
Published: September 2018

Sales volumes planning for domestic food industry enterprises requires constant increase of the efficiency of marketing costs usage. The goal of the research is to assess the effectiveness of marketing costs usage and to determine its relationship with the level of demand for products of an enterprise in order to form a marketing budget at food industry enterprises. Research methodology: S-curve demand planning for effective marketing cost distribution; expert survey of specialists at enterprises responsible for strategic planning necessary for calculation of planned indicators for products demand. The results of the research: a methodological approach to assessing the effectiveness of marketing costs usage, based on a logistic curve, which establishes the relationship between the planned budget for marketing and the level of demand for products for strengthening of control over the achievement of enterprise goals, is proposed.
Philosophy for Religious Studies
Authors: Rakhmanin Alexey
Published: September 2018

Interview by Alexey Rakhmanin, Associate Professor and Lecturer, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities (Saint-Petersburg, Russia).
Some More Delightful Iconoclasm
Authors: Altman Michael
Published: September 2018

A response to Andrew Kunze's review of Heathen, Hindoo, Hindu: American Representations of India, 1721-1893.
Negotiating peer feedback as a reciprocal learning tool for adolescent multilingual learners
Authors: Martin-Beltrán Melinda , Chen Pei-Jie , Guzman Natalia
Published: September 2018

This qualitative study investigates peer feedback among adolescent English and Spanish learners writing together in an extracurricular bilingual literacy program. Data sources include audio recordings, writing revision history on Google documents and interviews. This study reveals the complexity of peer interaction, feedback processes, and the potential for mutual growth. Oriented by Speech Act Theory (Austin, 1962; Searle, 1969) and informed by the concept of languaging (Mercer, 2004; Swain, 2006), this study conceptualizes peer feedback as acts that students take to mediate the thinking, writing, and communication processes while working together on a language autobiography. Findings show that students strategically used dynamic feedback acts mediating the writing and revising process, such as 'Ask questions', 'Give information', 'Make corrections'. We also found the use of translanguaging in the feedback acts expanded opportunities for learning as linguistically diverse peers were engaged in metalinguistic discussions, text co-construction, and language experiments. This study contributes to a new understanding of peer feedback which leverages the cultural and linguistic resources students bring to school.
Practices and context of L2 writing feedback
Authors: Mishima Masakazu
Published: September 2018

This exploratory case study investigated an experienced second language writing instructor's written feedback practice in an ESL freshman composition class. The purpose of the research was to explore and examine contextual factors and their impact on instructor written feedback practices in order to provide situated descriptions of relationships between written feedback practices and contextual factors. Data were collected from one experienced ESL writing instructor and one ESL writer in a variety of forms: surveys, interviews, a stimulated-recall task, classroom and instructor-student conference observations, instructional materials, and student written product. The study found that the instructor's decision-making in selecting specific feedback forms was guided by a number of written feedback practice principals in conjunction with other contextual factors such as the instructorperceived level of students' writing proficiency, the availability of writing conference, the nature of writing issues, students' writing performance in the previous writing assignments, lesson history, and knowledge about effective feedback practice. The study suggests L2 writing instructors' written feedback decisions are the product of different combinations of multiple-contextual factors and the nature of the written feedback practice principles is a task-specific manifestation of teacher cognition specifically configured for written feedback practice.
Composing strategies reported by high and low achievers in the TOEFL-iBT integrated task
Authors: Murray Jill C. , Riazi A. Mehdi
Published: September 2018

The teaching of composing strategies is acknowledged to be an important area in writing instruction and test preparation. This study presents a small set of data originating from a larger project which investigated the composing strategies reported by 30 international postgraduate students. These students were in their second year of university study and had all volunteered to attempt the TOEFL-iBT writing test. Immediately after completion of each task, they were interviewed about the way they had understood the requirements of the tasks and the processes and strategies they had used in order to complete them. All the students had successfully obtained entry to university and were functioning satisfactorily in their current areas of study, yet the scores they achieved in the TOEFL writing assessment showed considerable variation. Surprisingly, some were well below the benchmark for university entry. In order to investigate this, we revisited and reanalysed the interview data gathered from the three top and three bottom scorers, and examined similarities and differences in the way they approached and undertook the task. The high scorers' goals for task completion focused on the product as well as the process, and in contrast to the low scorers their monitoring strategies involved interaction with the emerging text. While we acknowledge that actual differences in language proficiency may have been partially responsible for the different scores, in this paper we explore the possible role of strategy choice, and we consider implications for test preparation teaching and writing instruction in general.
Professional development through a formative assessment rubric in a K-5 bilingual program
Authors: Stevens Lillian Ardell , Ebsworth Miriam Eisenstein
Published: September 2018

This case study uses an action research approach to the implementation of a systematic bilingual writing assessment that K-5 teachers administered over a two-year period in an inner-city public school with a two-way bilingual English-Spanish program. The study reflects the importance of developing an awareness of academic discourse over time, as teachers participated in a writing assessment project that included the administration of writing prompts and corresponding analysis of student writing through use of grade level rubrics, three times each year. The instrument was developed by the first author, a participant-observer who in the role of writing coordinator also led professional development workshops, and provided mentorship to teacher participants. The second researcher is an outside expert on bilingual writing who participated in the retrospective interview stage of the study. This paper will focus on insights from semi-structured interviews with teachers that reveal their current views on aspects of the writing assessment project. The questions prompted teachers to review the rubrics and associated assessment materials to garner insights about their participation in the assessment project. Thematic analysis of the interviews indicates that teachers enhanced their awareness of discourse structure and the writing process, as they incorporated the rubrics for several pedagogical purposes: more targeted whole group instruction, strategic and flexible grouping of students, and more deliberate selection of topics to support writers during individual conferences. Furthermore, teachers appreciated the ability to systematically track writing growth across the academic year, an option that had formerly been used solely for documentation of reading development in this setting. The influence of standards in providing goals for instructional outcomes is also discussed. Changes in the form of assessment are unlikely to enhance equity unless we change the ways in which assessments are used: from sorting mechanisms to diagnostic supports; from external monitors of performance to locally generated tools for inquiring deeply into teaching and learning, (Darling- Hammond, 1994: 7)
Do teachers dream of electric classrooms?
Authors: Nail Allan , Townsend Jane S.
Published: September 2018

As more classes are moving from the brick and mortar environs to online instructional spaces, the experiences of future teachers with communication technologies in online contexts merit attention. The authors describe the study of an Online Writing Partnership to examine participants' beliefs about the efficacy of online instruction and the quality of student/teacher relationships that are built via online means. Findings indicated four contextual threads of particular salience to the participants of the study, threads which contributed to a general sense of frustration with the online context for teaching: (1) social presence between participants; (2) the nature of relationships established between teachers and students; (3) the role and authority of a teacher in those relationships; and (4) their preconceived expectations of learning environments. Preparing future teachers for experiences in online teaching and learning may require providing avenues for examining their beliefs about the work required to form effective student/teacher relationships in virtual spaces.
Obstacles to digital, multimodal pedagogy in rural high schools
Authors: Howell Emily
Published: September 2018

The author reports findings from two iterations of a formative experiment focusing on improving students' conventional and digital, multimodal arguments. The first iteration of this experiment occurred in a rural school district in the United Sates with an eleventh-grade English/language arts teacher, and the second iteration was implemented in the same school district, but in a different high school with both a ninth- and tenth-grade English/language arts teacher. The findings focus upon obstacles the teachers encountered while implementing an intervention that entailed elements of argument; digital, multimodal tools; and the writing process. These obstacles led the author to make six recommendations for the future professional development of rural teachers integrating digital, multimodal tools into conventional writing curriculum.
Evaluation of failure probability for RC slabs subjected to low-velocity impacts
Authors: Yu Xiaohui , Xiao Yao , Li Bing
Published: September 2018

This study presents a procedure to evaluate the failure probabilities of reinforced-concrete (RC) slabs subjected to low-velocity impacts considering the uncertainties existing in slab features and impactor properties. A two-degree-of-freedom (2-DoF) non-linear model using a dynamic load–displacement curve is adopted to simulate the impact response of RC slabs because of its accuracy and efficiency. This model can effectively consider punching shear behaviour, which dominates the response of most RC slabs under impact loading. The 2-DoF is coupled with a correlation-controlled Latin hypercube sampling method to assess the failure probability. A sensitivity analysis is performed to identify significant random variables and a comprehensive parametric study is conducted to investigate the effect of different parameters in slab design and impactor properties on the failure probability of the impacted slab. The failure probabilities were found to fit a normal distribution under different impact velocities. This result is used in a simple procedure to derive the impact-induced failure probability curves with the distribution means estimated at the mean parameters, and the coefficients of variation ranged between 0·15 and 0·20.