bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
7. Galaxies
Authors: Binney James
Published: April 2017

‘Galaxies’ describes galaxy morphology, the chemical evolution of galaxies, and stellar dynamics. A galaxy consists of a huge number of point masses—stars and dark matter—that move freely in the gravitational field that they jointly generate. The nature of a galaxy is largely determined by its luminosity, its bulge-to-disc ratio, and the ratio of its mass of cold gas to the mass in stars. Galaxies are also shaped by their environments. Dense environments are rich in elliptical and lenticular galaxies, while abnormally under-dense environments are rich in dwarf irregular galaxies. Spiral galaxies like our own tend to inhabit regions of intermediate density.
4. Is Chinese society modern?
Authors: Mitter Rana
Published: April 2017

Equality is a modern goal of many societies, both dictatorships and democracies. Chinese society has changed profoundly in many ways in recent decades. ‘Is Chinese society modern?’ analyses relations between men and women, countryside and city, and duties and obligations of the state and people in order to see how far Chinese society has modernized and whether this is at odds with the maintenance of the Chinese identity. There are aspects of contemporary Chinese society that have not changed: religious practice, preferences for male children in the countryside, and stress on hierarchy. Other aspects have seen massive change: a globalized economy, the language of equality and rights, and the closeness of the state and the people.
6. Is Chinese culture modern?
Authors: Mitter Rana
Published: April 2017

The idea that China’s culture is tied up with its place in the modern world has persisted since the Opium Wars. Chinese culture is highly valued around the world in terms of literature, films, artists, and ideas. The desire to find a culture that is both modern and derived from Chinese inspirations continues to drive Chinese artists’ ambitions. ‘Is Chinese culture modern?’ considers cultural progress and the international reception of China’s writers, artists, architects, and film-makers. During the 20th century, China tended to absorb cultural norms from around the world. To some extent, this trend is being reversed and China is beginning to project out cultural influence (or ‘soft power’).
6. Covenant
Authors: Balserak Jon
Published: April 2017

A covenant is a kind of agreement, treaty, or testament, generally binding two parties in a contractual relationship. The covenant idea is ubiquitous in Reformed thought. ‘Covenant’ explores the key covenants in Calvinism: the covenant of redemption, which was made between the members of the Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit); the covenant of works, made between God and Adam; and the covenant of grace. Central to this third covenant is God’s work of predestination—the eternal decree of God by which all human beings are appointed either to eternal life or to eternal damnation. The atonement of Christ is also considered.
2. Encounters with the infinite
Authors: Stewart Ian
Published: April 2017

‘Encounters with the infinite’ raises some common misconceptions about infinity, and shows how infinity naturally appears in elementary arithmetic. It aims to show how deeply embedded infinity is, even in basic areas of mathematics, and to clarify possible confusion about topics that we think we understand. It begins with two issues: firstly, infinity is not just a synonym for a very big number; it is not a very large limit, but the absence of any limit. Secondly, infinity is not just some esoteric invention in advanced mathematics—we run into it quite early on at school level when we start learning about the decimal system.
5. Geometric infinity
Authors: Stewart Ian
Published: April 2017

Much of the philosophical and mathematical fun comes from trying to tease the different meanings apart, and deciding which make sense, and why. A clear example occurs in ‘Geometric infinity’, where the discussion takes a sharp turn into a different realm of the infinite: projective geometry. As Euclid insisted in one of his axioms, parallel lines never meet. But the painters of the Italian Renaissance, analysing perspective, stumbled across a rich vein of geometry in which it makes sense to insist that parallels do meet—at infinity. If you’ve ever stood at a railway station watching the tracks converge as they disappear into the distance, you’ve caught a glimpse of geometric infinity.
6. Pesticides
Authors: Patrick Graham
Published: April 2017

Pesticides are organic chemicals produced by the agrochemical industry to improve agricultural yields and to fight crop disease. They include insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides, which have proved vital in increasing food production for a global population that is expected to increase by 33 per cent over the next thirty-five years. ‘Pesticides’ explains that concerns over the effects of traditional pesticides have promoted research into designing safer and more environmentally friendly pesticides. It describes the research into different insecticides—organochlorine agents, methylcarbamates, organophosphates, pyrethrins, pyrethroids, and neonicotinoids—before considering the search for new insecticides, which act on a range of different targets as a means of tackling resistance, and looking at fungicides and herbicides in more detail.
7. The chemistry of the senses
Authors: Patrick Graham
Published: April 2017

Naturally occurring organic molecules play an important role in the way we perceive the world through the senses of sight, taste, and smell. In addition, many synthetic organic molecules have been designed to have colour, taste, and scent, important for the food and cosmetic industries. ‘The chemistry of the senses’ considers the chemistry of vision, scent, and taste. It describes the naturally occurring 11-cis-retinal, crucial to the mechanism by which the rod cells in the human eye detect visible light, and looks at the scented molecules that interact with olfactory receptors in the nose. Finally, it explains how the sensation of taste is caused by organic molecules interacting with the tongue’s taste receptors.
The greatest manuscript discovery
Authors: Lim Timothy H.
Published: April 2017

Are the Dead Sea Scrolls the greatest manuscript discovery of the 20th century? The public perception of this question differs greatly from the scholarly view. ‘The greatest manuscript discovery’ concludes that, for Jewish studies of the Second Temple period and biblical studies, they are. The Dead Sea Scrolls provide the earliest Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts of almost all the biblical books—illuminating the canonical process; dual pattern of scripture and tradition; and graded authority of compositions: biblical, non-biblical, and sectarian. The scrolls are the oldest examples of Old Testament texts, but they also act as a foil bringing out new insights into the early Christian church and New Testament.
1. Dynasties and empires; titles and peoples
Authors: Rady Martyn
Published: April 2017

After the house of Windsor, the Habsburgs are the best-known dynasty in Europe. Their history is tied up with most European countries. ‘Dynasties and empires; titles and people’ outlines the origins of the Habsburgs and describes the building of their empire through the acquisition of lands, kingdoms, and titles, either by war or by marriage. The earliest known Habsburg was Radbot (c.985–1045), who built Castle Habsburg in the Swiss Aargau that was, for several centuries, the principal seat of the family. The successful marriage schemes of Maximilian (Holy Roman Emperor from 1508) ensured the spread of the Habsburgs through most of Europe and into the New World.
3. ‘As if the king of each’
Authors: Rady Martyn
Published: April 2017

Charles V did not try to unite his disparate realms, but ruled instead through the separate governments of his individual lands and kingdoms. The preferred method of 16th-century Habsburg rule was ‘conciliar’. This meant that Habsburg monarchs practised, where they could, government by committee, and functions were devolved to meetings made up largely of experts. ‘“As if the King of each”: 16th and 17th centuries’ describes the almost continuous war against the Ottoman Empire. During the 16th century, Protestantism made extensive inroads into the Austrian lands. In 1606 a lasting peace with the Ottomans was reached, but the day of religious reckoning was not far off.
What international law does well
Authors: Lowe Vaughan
Published: April 2017

States cooperate in making and applying international law in circumstances where they are agreed upon the goals to be pursued, so that the law is employed to express a willing cooperation between them rather than to force rules upon them. ‘What international law does well’ considers the mechanisms of why and how States cooperate. Some arrangements are designed to facilitate transactions rather than to prescribe rules or standards. Examples include cooperation between legal systems and the United Nations. Key areas where international law has had success are in the international economy, through the World Trade Organization; humanitarian law and human rights; environmental protection; and the repression of criminal activity.
Deterrence and coercion
Authors: Echevarria Antulio J.
Published: April 2017

Coercion simply means compelling adversaries to do something, while deterrence is dissuading opponents from doing something. Together, these strategies constitute the fundamental dynamic driving most peacetime and wartime situations, at the highest echelons of diplomacy as well as the lowest levels of tactics. From the standpoint of military strategy, it is rarely sufficient to compel one’s foes to do something; usually one must also deter them from doing something else. Both strategies require similar conditions for success: reliable knowledge of one’s opponent, credible military power, active monitoring, and some shared communications and expectations. Without the latter two especially, both deterrence and coercion are vulnerable to unanticipated events.
Environmental futures
Authors: Dobson Andrew
Published: April 2017

Environmental politics is a feature of the political landscape, which, now that it is established, is likely to persist well into the future. In part this is because the problems that have given rise to it are not likely to be solved any time soon. Global warming is at present the most obvious example, but other environmental issues such as species loss, deforestation, and urban pollution are also proving long-lasting. ‘Environmental futures’ also shows that environmental politics has a future because of the way in which it is tied up with livelihoods, particularly in poor and vulnerable communities. The different approaches of reform and radicalism in environmental politics are also discussed.
Iran and Islam
Authors: Ansari Ali M.
Published: April 2017

In 1979 the Islamic Revolution overthrew the monarchy and transformed Iran’s relations with the outside world. Iranian history was reassessed along with the importance of Islam to Iranian identity. ‘Iran and Islam’ outlines the history of Iranians beginning with the wars between Sasanian Iran and its western Roman/Byzantine rival in the 6th century ce. It charts the fall of the Sasanian Empire to the Muslim Caliphate; the new Umayyad overlords; the Abbasid revolution in the 8th century ce; the rise of the New Persian language; the Mongol invasions of the 13th and 14th centuries and integration with Turanians; and the importance of Shi’ism to the Iranian people.
Prospects and reflections
Authors: Moon Jeremy
Published: April 2017

How should corporate social responsibility (CSR) develop? Can or should other non-market institutions interpose? ‘Prospects and reflections’ looks at the clues to CSR’s future. Despite the growing significance of non-market institutions for framing CSR, it remains a ‘business-oriented’ phenomenon and thus business circumstances will be critical to CSR’s future. At an individual business level, these circumstances can depend on numerous factors, including leadership, commercial fortunes, social impacts, and stakeholder relations. Firstly, the broader factors of economic, business and environmental and social futures are considered. Then the societal expectations of business, in particular the issue of extending CSR to companies and their political engagement are reviewed.
4. Electric blue
Authors: Hall Christopher
Published: April 2017

‘Electric blue’ is concerned with electricity that can drive devices and machines to produce light, sound, and movement, and the appearance of materials, which can be transparent, opaque, shiny, and of different colours. The electrical inventions of Thomas Edison and discoveries of Michael Faraday, Werner von Siemens, and Heinrich Hertz were important, but it was the quantum theory of electrons in solids that explained much of the electrical behaviour of materials. It underpins semiconductor technology, and all its pervasive consequences. Conductivity and resistivity of materials, superconductors, and magnetic fields are considered along with computational models that represent processes in virtual materials where many things are happening simultaneously and at many scales.
5. Making stuff and making things
Authors: Hall Christopher
Published: April 2017

‘Making stuff and making things’ considers the step-by-step processes in the making of glass, silicon, nickel superalloys, strings and textiles, and plastics, and how they are then used in the manufacture of other goods. For pottery, ceramics, bricks, and tiles though, the making of the material and of the artefact are merged into a single act. The chemistry lies in the mineral reactions that transform soft matter into hard in the hot kiln. Material-as device, device-as-material, and material-as-object are also considered along with the valuable applications of osmium and caesium. What does the future of material science hold? Will motile biomaterials ever be realized?
Microbial genetics and molecular microbiology
Authors: Money Nicholas P.
Published: April 2017

Cell structures and metabolic processes are specified by genes. The genomes of bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic microorganisms are encoded in double-stranded helices of DNA. ‘Genetics and molecular microbiology’ explains that advances in sequencing techniques and the development of automated sequencing methods have allowed scientists to sequence the genomes of 4,000 bacterial genomes, 200 archaea, and 200 eukaryotes. Genome sizes vary a great deal within each category of microorganism and the largest prokaryote genomes overlap the smallest eukaryote genomes. Natural mutations in microorganisms play a primary role in evolution. Reproduction in prokaryotes is always asexual, whereas mechanisms of sexual reproduction have been studied in eukaryotic microorganisms belonging to all of the supergroups.
Ancient reefs and islands
Authors: Sheppard Charles
Published: April 2017

‘Ancient reefs and islands’ illustrates that the present day ecology and organization of species on a reef and their behaviour—basically how a reef works—is the result of a very long heritage. Limestone-deposited structures of the Pre-Cambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous periods, the organisms that created them (including ancestors of today’s sponges and corals), and key extinctions are described along with the three different kinds of coral islands seen around the tropical world: coral cays, islands with a solid limestone core, and volcanic or basaltic islands fringed with coral reef. The future of current reef systems, the effects of ocean changes, and the resulting impact on humanity are considered.
The first casualty: journalists at war
Authors: Hargreaves Ian
Published: April 2017

It was in the ‘Balkan wars’ of the 1990s that the news media and the military started to understand the extent to which digital media were reshaping the craft of war reporting. Journalists were now able to report from behind enemy lines. War has always delivered the most severe test to journalistic independence. What are the challenges to journalists reporting news in a war situation? How objective can they be? ‘The first casualty: journalists at war’ charts the impact of the digital era on war reporting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the rise of the Arabic television channel Al Jazeera.
Christianity in the modern world
Authors: Woodhead Linda
Published: April 2017

During the modern period, Christianity has changed in rapid and unprecedented ways. Church, Biblical, and Mystical Christianity can still be discerned, but they flow together in new combinations, taking shape not in new churches and denominations, but in movements that flow through them and mould their agendas—most importantly Christian liberalism, evangelicalism and fundamentalism, Pentecostalism, and Charismatic revival. ‘Christianity in the modern world’ describes these movements and concludes that the late 20th and early 21st centuries have seen the ties between Christianity and the west loosening and secularism and ‘non-religion’ growing. The most vital and fast-growing forms of Christianity have flourished outside the west, taking the religion’s agenda in many new directions.
Introduction
Authors: Cronin Mike
Published: April 2017

What is ‘sport’ and why has the urge to run or jump, to wrestle, or master a moving ball individually, or in a team, been part of human culture for so long? The ‘Introduction’ explains that sport has a socio-cultural presence resulting from its daily performance on the pitch, the television screen, in print and online, and has also been reimagined in literary and artistic form throughout history. Sport is currently a predominantly male world of million-dollar salaries and endorsement packages. It is a business that struggles to balance its core historical and philosophical messages, the spirit of fair play, and the heroism of athletic endeavour, with underlying violence, cheating, and corruption.
Conclusion
Authors: Cronin Mike
Published: April 2017

Sport is a physical activity still enjoyed as a natural expression of athleticism and energy, in many different forms and settings, by millions of people around the globe. At the elite level, sport is a multi-billion dollar global business. The Conclusion shows that the 19th-century idea of fair play and sportsmanship still shapes the way in which sport is thought about. But at the core, much of the practice and business of sport is rotten, and does not conform to the ethical and moral ideals that it was founded on. It also concludes that sport, despite all its rules, is not an equal competition.
World War II begins
Authors: Weinberg Gerard L.
Published: April 2017

The German attack on Poland began on September 1 1939, and triggered the declaration of war on Germany by Britain, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa. Germany and the Soviet Union were agreed on a dual attack on Poland from the West and East, which left Poland unable to defend itself. An important aspect of the war between Germany and the Allies was the war of the oceans. The battles between warships, targets on merchant ships, and the use of submarines in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans continued from 1939 up until Germany's surrender in May 1945 and drew in many Baltic and Scandinavian countries.
Developments on the home front and in technical and medical fields
Authors: Weinberg Gerard L.
Published: April 2017

‘Developments on the home front and in technical and medical fields’ describes the social, political, and economic impacts of World War II on each of the countries that participated. There was severe war rationing in Germany and programs of compulsory sterilization continued until the latter stages of the war; Poland was the most dramatically changed country; the European Jewish population was decimated; Fascism was defeated in Italy; Britain lost its colonial powers; and in Russia, Stalin was transformed from being a feared and hated dictator into the benign saviour of his people. There were significant developments in military technology and medical practices applied during the war that had considerable post-war importance.
1. Origins and function of banking
Authors: Goddard John , Wilson John O. S.
Published: April 2017

A bank is an institution that accepts deposits from savers, extends loans to borrowers, and provides a range of other financial services to its customers. Banks are a central part of the modern financial system. ‘Origins and function of banking’ begins with a short history of banking before outlining the structure of a bank’s balance sheet and income statement. It goes on to describe the different types of bank and banking services provided by retail, corporate, and investment banks. It also explains the shadow banking institutions—such as hedge funds—which are not subject to the same supervisory and regulatory arrangements, and the payments system that has been transformed by the growth of computing technology.
2. Financial intermediation
Authors: Goddard John , Wilson John O. S.
Published: April 2017

The term financial intermediation refers to the traditional banking business model, under which a bank accepts deposits from savers and lends funds to borrowers. The accumulation of bank deposits and the growth of bank lending are inextricably linked. ‘Financial intermediation’ explains the functions of maturity transformation, size transformation, and diversification. It goes on to outline adverse selection, moral hazard, leverage, and the magnification of return and risk. By acting as a financial intermediary, a bank takes on several types of risk, the two most fundamental types being credit risk and liquidity risk. Other sources of risk in financial intermediation include market risk, operational risk, settlement risk, currency risk, and sovereign risk.
8. Policy and regulatory responses to the global financial crisis
Authors: Goddard John , Wilson John O. S.
Published: April 2017

The 2007–09 global financial crisis brought a number of specific policy and regulatory challenges into sharp focus. From an historical perspective, the regulatory response follows a long-established pattern, whereby stricter regulation and supervision is enacted in response to a financial crisis, while pressure leading to financial deregulation tends to mount during times of prosperity. ‘Policy and regulatory responses to the global financial crisis’ describes the evolution of monetary policy and the adoption of quantitative easing. Important developments included the introduction of negative policy interest rates in several countries, setting new capital and liquidity standards, arguments for separating commercial and investment banking, or ring-fencing retail banking divisions from trading or investment banking operations.
Influenza
Authors: Wayne Marta L. , Bolker Benjamin M.
Published: April 2017

Influenza, or flu, has caused more deaths than any single disease outbreak since the 14th-century bubonic plague. Twenty to fifty million people worldwide died from the 1918 Spanish Flu, which was an H1N1 strain similar to the 2009 pandemic. ‘Influenza’ considers the attempts to control transmission of flu by reducing encounters, by reducing compatibility (through vaccination), or ideally by a combination of both. The unique evolutionary potential of flu means that both vaccinated people and unvaccinated people who contract flu naturally tend to lose their immunity after a few years. General principles of evolutionary biology, as well as intriguing particulars of flu evolution, are introduced. The politics of research and risk assessment are also discussed.
Changing the state of matter
Authors: Atkins Peter
Published: April 2017

‘Changing the state of matter’ considers the transformations states of matter undergo from one form to another during the processes of freezing, boiling, dissolving, and mixing. All such transformations and the corresponding equilibria that are reached in state transitions can be expressed in terms of the chemical potential and the pushing power it represents. Changes in temperature and pressure can lower or raise boiling and freezing points. Josiah Gibbs' phase rule is concerned with the equilibria between various forms of matter. Phase diagrams help chemists draw conclusions about the compositions of mixtures, minerals, and alloys. Transitions in solutions, including osmosis, and solid-to-solid phase transitions are also discussed.
1. Love
Authors: Robertson Ritchie
Published: April 2017

Goethe is perhaps the greatest love poet of modern Europe. ‘Love’ mainly considers his poetry, but it begins with his early novel, Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (The Sufferings of Young Werther, 1774), that he wrote about love in a new way which enraptured innumerable readers. Goethe went further than any previous writer in presenting his hero as a union of mind and body. In doing so, he extended the range of experience that literature could express. Goethe’s personal relationship history is documented and, against this background, the early love poetry is rich in emotional complexity. A recurrent theme is the poet’s need for someone to calm his turbulent emotions.
3. Classical art and world literature
Authors: Robertson Ritchie
Published: April 2017

‘Classical art and world literature’ shows that Goethe’s knowledge of art and literature was wide-ranging and explains that, in both, he came to believe that the works produced by the ancient Greeks formed a standard that could never be surpassed. In art, he explored the classical tradition that descended via the Renaissance to the neoclassicism of the 18th century. In literature, his taste was much wider. He read easily in French, Italian, English, Latin, and Greek, and in his later life he eagerly read translations of Asian texts—novels from China, epics and plays from India, and the Arabic and Persian poetry that would inspire his great lyrical collection, the West-östlicher Divan (West-Eastern Divan).
4. Time-limited psychotherapy
Authors: Burns Tom , Burns‐Lundgren Eva
Published: April 2017

For many therapists and patients, short-term therapies are now the treatments of choice. ‘Time-limited psychotherapy’ describes three time-limited psychotherapies that have emerged with increasing evidence for their effectiveness: interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT, devised specifically for depression), cognitive analytic therapy (CAT, an integrative approach combining cognitive understandings and techniques within a more analytic framework), and solution-focused therapy (SFT, an active approach that engages people’s inbuilt ability to find solutions). In all of these therapies, both parties have to make active use of the time available to them. A focus is created at a very early stage, and the patient or client plays an active role in addressing their difficulties, both within and between sessions.
5. Counselling
Authors: Burns Tom , Burns‐Lundgren Eva
Published: April 2017

Counselling refers to a confidential relationship between a client and an individual who is trained to listen attentively and who will try and help you to improve things through support and understanding. ‘Counselling’ outlines some recognizable and useful differences between counselling and psychotherapy. Overall, counselling is less formal than psychotherapy, and the relationship between counsellor and client more equal. Most counselling draws on Carl Rogers’ client-centred approach, whose three core conditions for successful counselling and psychotherapy are congruence or genuineness, empathy, and respect. The specific counselling approaches considered here are: existential therapy, transactional analysis, drug and alcohol counselling, psychodynamic counselling, and telephone counselling.
Markets
Authors: Dixit Avinash
Published: April 2017

‘Markets’ focuses on the supply-and-demand nature of markets. The supply–demand mechanism produces just the quantity that contributes positive social surplus, and no more. The outcome maximizes the total social surplus; it is economically efficient. If underlying conditions of demand and supply change, market equilibrium will shift. Whether the product price and the quantity produced increase or decrease depends on the type of shift of demand and supply that has occurred. One cause of equilibrium shift is the imposition of a tax. Cycles of booms and busts in housing and mining sectors are discussed along with price floors and ceilings.
Institutions and organizations
Authors: Dixit Avinash
Published: April 2017

Markets are not the only place where transactions take place. ‘Institutions and organizations’ highlights other platforms and institutions — families, social groups and networks, industry associations, and governments — where some transactions work better. Successful specialization and transaction have two basic prerequisites: security of property and of contract. Property rights and contract enforcement, and the state and non-state institutions of governance that control them, are considered. The needs of some specialized transactions are best met by creating special markets or market-like platforms by intermediaries for the two sides in a transaction to meet. Market design, matching markets, and auctions are discussed.
6. The ‘Middle Ages’ of ‘others’
Authors: Rubin Miri
Published: April 2017

‘The “Middle Ages” of “others”’ considers the people outside the Christian faith—Muslims, pagans, and Jews—to be found at the borders of Europe as well as within its midst. Christian teaching offered a message of hope through redemption, a path to salvation. Those outside the Christian body were destined to live in sin, existing as a menace to themselves and to others. The relationship between Jews and Christians is old and highly complex. Despite the close connections between their faiths through Hebrew texts, Jews were ostracized by Christians throughout this period. They faced forced conversion to Christianity, expulsion, or death.
Zionism in World War II and its aftermath
Authors: Stanislawski Michael
Published: April 2017

”Zionism in World War II and its aftermath” explains that at the onset of war, the Zionist movement could only focus on supporting the Allies. After the war, the majority of Jewish and Zionist activists supported the idea of partitioning Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states. In May 1947, Britain announced that it was handing over the Palestine problem to the newly formed United Nations, and that it would unilaterally terminate the mandate over Palestine on May 15, 1948. In November 1947, the General Assembly voted on a partition plan and, with Soviet support, passed it. A civil war between the Palestinians and the Jews began immediately.
Epilogue
Authors: Stanislawski Michael
Published: April 2017

While Zionism’s achievement of a state, language, and culture is undeniable, profound questions remain, even beyond the future of the peace process and the Occupation, about the viability of secular Zionism. The largest group of Jewish citizens of the State of Israel remain secular Zionists, even if they are in tortuous disagreement about what secular Zionism means. The epilogue explains that the true challenge to secular Zionism in Israel is to respond creatively and in line with democratic principles to the growth and power of the Ultra-Orthodox, most of whom remain steadfastly “non-Zionist” and some virulently anti-Zionist.
2. Putting slavery into place
Authors: Williams Heather Andrea
Published: April 2017

America held promises of wealth and freedom for Europeans; in time, slavery became the key to the fulfillment of both. ‘Putting slavery into place’ describes the system of slavery initiated by European immigrants to the colonies. They chose to enslave only those who were different from them—Indians and Africans. When continued enslavement of Indians proved difficult or against colonists' self-interest, Africans and their descendants alone constituted the category of slave, and their ancestry and color came to be virtually synonymous with slave. In the mid-seventeenth century, colonists began formalizing slavery through legislation. By the 1700s black people were being held in lifelong, hereditary slavery, meaning that they and their descendants would be enslaved.
6. Taking slavery apart
Authors: Williams Heather Andrea
Published: April 2017

Slavery existed in America for nearly two hundred and fifty years until it was finally abolished with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in December 1865. It took all those years and a civil war to end slavery, but ‘Taking slavery apart’ illustrates the ways that enslaved people challenged their slavery, from when it was being put into place, through when the institution matured and proved lucrative, to its final end. Through efforts to gain individual freedom by escaping, or by negotiating ways to ameliorate their enslavement, or by participating in violent uprisings, some African Americans always challenged the system that named them as property and denied them the rights of other human beings.
3. Sound and the Production Code
Authors: Decherney Peter
Published: April 2017

Despite studio heads’ best efforts to manage risk and build consistency into the studio system, they could never stave off disruptions for very long. There is always a new cultural, aesthetic, or technological change on the horizon. The studios have not always responded to these disruptions in the same way, yet Hollywood has consistently managed to adjust to new circumstances. And in almost every instance, the studio system has emerged stronger than it was before the change. ‘Sound and the Production Code’ outlines the challenges of new technology, such as synchronized sound; the Great Depression; and the introduction of the Production Code, a form of self-regulation and standardization for the industry.
Efficient approximations of RNA kinetics landscape using non-redundant sampling
Authors: Michálik Juraj , Touzet Hélène , Ponty Yann
Published: April 2017

Motivation

Kinetics is key to understand many phenomena involving RNAs, such as co-transcriptional folding and riboswitches. Exact out-of-equilibrium studies induce extreme computational demands, leading state-of-the-art methods to rely on approximated kinetics landscapes, obtained using sampling strategies that strive to generate the key landmarks of the landscape topology. However, such methods are impeded by a large level of redundancy within sampled sets. Such a redundancy is uninformative, and obfuscates important intermediate states, leading to an incomplete vision of RNA dynamics.

Results

We introduce RNANR, a new set of algorithms for the exploration of RNA kinetics landscapes at the secondary structure level. RNANR considers locally optimal structures, a reduced set of RNA conformations, in order to focus its sampling on basins in the kinetic landscape. Along with an exhaustive enumeration, RNANR implements a novel non-redundant stochastic sampling, and offers a rich array of structural parameters. Our tests on both real and random RNAs reveal that RNANR allows to generate more unique structures in a given time than its competitors, and allows a deeper exploration of kinetics landscapes.

Availability and implementation

RNANR is freely available at https://project.inria.fr/rnalands/rnanr.
Looking Beyond the Cell in Cellulitis
Authors: Maida Vincent , Cheung Joyce T. W.
Published: April 2017

BACKGROUND:

Patients with erythematous skin are likely to receive a diagnosis of cellulitis; however, the accuracy of this diagnosis is approximately only 33%. The diagnosis of cellulitis should be made only after a thorough evaluation of all possible differential diagnoses. Cellulitis may be a primary process (superficial spreading infective process involving only the epidermis and dermis) versus a secondary (reactive) process incited by a subcutaneous process, such as an abscess, tenosynovitis, necrotizing fasciitis, and osteomyelitis.

CASE PRESENTATION:

A 50-year-old man was admitted to a general hospital with the diagnosis of cellulitis. He was initially treated with systemic antibiotics without improvement. Following consultation with a wound management physician, the patient received a diagnosis of a pretibial abscess and was treated with surgical evacuation and postoperative systemic antibiotic therapy guided by tissue cultures. A postoperative wound was successfully treated with inelastic compression therapy.

CONCLUSIONS:

This case demonstrates the potential for misdiagnosis when evaluating erythematous skin. Furthermore, concluding that the erythema is due to a primary cellulitis may result in monotherapy with systemic antimicrobial agents. In such cases, making a correct diagnosis through a skillful and complete physical examination of the patient, coupled with appropriate investigations, will lead to the best possible outcome. A comprehensive treatment approach may include systemic antimicrobials, as well as surgical options and compression therapy.
Clinical experience and diagnostic algorithm of vulval Crohn’s disease
Authors: Boxhoorn Lotte , Stoof Tom J. , de Meij Tim , Hoentjen Frank , Oldenburg Bas , Bouma Gerd , Löwenberg Mark , van Bodegraven Adriaan A. , de Boer Nanne K.H.
Published: April 2017

Background and aim

Vulval Crohn’s disease (VCD) is a rare extraintestinal cutaneous manifestation of Crohn’s disease. No consensus on the diagnostic workup and therapeutic management of this condition has been provided in the current literature.

Patients and methods

Retrospective, multicentre descriptive case series of female patients diagnosed and treated with VCD. By chart review, data on initial symptoms, clinical courses, histologic findings and therapeutic management were collected.

Results

Fifteen female patients with a median age of 28 years (interquartile range: 28–44 years) suffering from Crohn’s disease of the ileum (27%), colon (33%) and ileocolon (40%) were included. VCD manifested most frequently with vulval swelling (93%), pain (80%) and erythema (73%). Histologic analysis demonstrated granulomatous inflammation in 78% and a mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate in 67% of cases. In eight (53%) cases, topical therapy resulted in temporary reduction of vulval symptoms. Combotreatment with immunosuppressive agents and tumour necrosis factor α inhibitors was the most effective second-line therapy: five (33%) patients achieved sustained clinical remission with this therapeutic strategy.

Conclusion

The diagnostic workup of VCD is challenging and should be approached in a multidisciplinary manner. Histopathologic analysis of the vulva supports the diagnosis. Topical therapy and systemic treatment with immunosuppressive agents and tumour necrosis factor α inhibitors are advised to treat this condition.
Impact of Professional Nursing Practices on Patient/Nurse Outcomes
Authors: Kramer Marlene , Brewer Barbara B. , Halfer Diana , Hnatiuk Cynthia Nowicki , MacPhee Maura , Duchscher Judy Boychuk , Maguire Pat , Coe Thomas , Schmalenberg Claudia
Published: April 2017

Increasing patient and healthcare system complexity and the need to accurately measure the engagement of clinical nurses (CNs) in holistic, professional nursing practice indicates that an update to the Essentials of Magnetism instrument is needed. The purposes of this research were to critique and weight items, assess the value and psychometric properties of the newly constructed Essential Professional Nursing Practices (EPNP) instrument, and establish relationships between EPNPs and CN job, practice, and nurse-assessed patient satisfaction.
The Baptist Health Nurse Retention Questionnaire
Authors: Lengerich Alexander , Bugajski Andrew , Marchese Matthew , Hall Brittany , Yackzan Susan , Davies Claire , Brockopp Dorothy
Published: April 2017

OBJECTIVE

The purposes of this study were to develop and test the Baptist Health Nurse Retention Questionnaire (BHNRQ) and examine the importance of nurse retention factors.

BACKGROUND

Multiple factors, including increasing patient acuity levels, have led to concerns regarding nurse retention. An understanding of current factors related to retention is limited.

METHODS

To establish the psychometric properties of the BHNRQ, data were collected from 279 bedside nurses at a 391-bed, Magnet® redesignated community hospital. A principal component analysis was conducted to determine the subscale structure of the BHNRQ. Additional analyses were conducted related to content validity and test-retest reliability.

RESULTS

The results of the principal components analysis revealed 3 subscales: nursing practice, management, and staffing. Analyses demonstrate that the BHNRQ is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring nurse retention factors.

CONCLUSION

The BHNRQ was found to be a clinically useful instrument for measuring important factors related to nurse retention.
Patient Safety Culture Survey in Pediatric Complex Care Settings: A Factor Analysis
Authors: Hessels Amanda J. , Murray Meghan , Cohen Bevin , Larson Elaine L.
Published: April 2017

Objectives

Children with complex medical needs are increasing in number and demanding the services of pediatric long-term care facilities (pLTC), which require a focus on patient safety culture (PSC). However, no tool to measure PSC has been tested in this unique hybrid acute care–residential setting. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture tool slightly modified for use in the pLTC setting.

Methods

Factor analyses were performed on data collected from 239 staff at 3 pLTC in 2012. Items were screened by principal axis factoring, and the original structure was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify the best model fit for the pLTC data, and factor reliability was assessed by Cronbach alpha.

Results

The extracted, rotated factor solution suggested items in 4 (staffing, nonpunitive response to mistakes, communication openness, and organizational learning) of the original 12 dimensions may not be a good fit for this population. Nevertheless, in the pLTC setting, both the original and the modified factor solutions demonstrated similar reliabilities to the published consistencies of the survey when tested in adult nursing homes and the items factored nearly identically as theorized.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that the Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture with minimal modification may be an appropriate instrument to measure PSC in pLTC settings. Additional psychometric testing is recommended to further validate the use of this instrument in this setting, including examining the relationship to safety outcomes. Increased use will yield data for benchmarking purposes across these specialized settings to inform frontline workers and organizational leaders of areas of strength and opportunity for improvement.
Learning to Read in English and French
Authors: Chung Sheila Cira , Koh Poh Wee , Deacon S. Hélène , Chen Xi
Published: April 2017

This longitudinal study investigated the predictors of word reading in English and French for 69 children in early total French immersion from first through third grade. The influence of phonological awareness, orthographic processing, and vocabulary in English and French on the achievement and growth of word reading in the 2 languages were evaluated with growth curve analyses. Findings revealed that predictors in Grade 1 were similar for English and French word reading in Grade 3. Specifically, English phonological awareness and orthographic processing predicted English word reading achievement; English orthographic processing also predicted growth in English word reading. French phonological awareness and orthographic processing in Grade 1 predicted French word reading achievement in Grade 3. Furthermore, at-risk readers identified in Grade 1 (n = 6) generally fell behind their typically developing peers across all measures, although evidence of improvement emerged over time.
Chromatin module inference on cellular trajectories identifies key transition points and poised epigenetic states in diverse developmental processes
Authors: Roy Sushmita , Sridharan Rupa
Published: April 2017

Changes in chromatin state play important roles in cell fate transitions. Current computational approaches to analyze chromatin modifications across multiple cell types do not model how the cell types are related on a lineage or over time.To overcome this limitation, we developed a method called Chromatin Module INference on Trees (CMINT), a probabilistic clustering approach to systematically capture chromatin state dynamics across multiple cell types. Compared to existing approaches, CMINT can handle complex lineage topologies, capture higher quality clusters, and reliably detect chromatin transitions between cell types. We applied CMINT to gain novel insights in two complex processes: reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and hematopoiesis. In reprogramming, chromatin changes could occur without large gene expression changes, different combinations of activating marks were associated with specific reprogramming factors, there was an order of acquisition of chromatin marks at pluripotency loci, and multivalent states (comprising previously undetermined combinations of activating and repressive histone modifications) were enriched for CTCF. In the hematopoietic system, we defined critical decision points in the lineage tree, identified regulatory elements that were enriched in cell-type–specific regions, and found that the underlying chromatin state was achieved by specific erasure of preexisting chromatin marks in the precursor cell or by de novo assembly. Our method provides a systematic approach to model the dynamics of chromatin state to provide novel insights into the relationships among cell types in diverse cell-fate specification processes.
Effectiveness of social media for communicating health messages in Ghana
Authors: Bannor Richard , Asare Anthony Kwame , Bawole Justice Nyigmah
Published: April 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an in-depth understanding of the effectiveness, evolution and dynamism of the current health communication media used in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a multi-method approach which utilizes a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. In-depth interviews are conducted with health promotion professionals in Ghana and 150 members of the general public were surveyed.

Findings

The paper finds that the general public sees social media as an effective place for health professionals to share health-related messages. They also view health-related messages on social media seriously. Health professionals see social media as an effective tool for sending health-related messages to the public and are concerned about the fact that traditional media are losing their effectiveness as means to share health-related messages.

Research limitations/implications

This study was conducted in Ghana. Future studies should be conducted across multiple countries to examine the conclusions developed in this paper and the possibility of multiple perspectives regarding the use of social media for sending health messages.

Practical implications

The results inform public health officials on developments in health communication and suggest prescriptions on how to adjust to the new media.

Originality/value

Health messaging is an area that has been relatively ignored in the literature and almost no research focusses on the effectiveness of social media and other health messaging technologies, particularly in developing countries. Although the study was conducted in Ghana, health professionals worldwide can use the findings to help improve their health messaging strategies.