bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pamćenje hrvatskog društva na primjeru Vukovara – “grada heroja”
Authors: Zanki Angelika
Published: December 2018

Remembering in Croatian society as exemplified by the “hero city” Vukovar The article concerns forms of maintaining memory in Croatian society. Its starting point is the term sites of memory (lieux de mémoire), introduced by Pierre Nora, who defines them as characteristic and symbolic elements that ensure the presence of the past in the present. After the Croatian War of Independence, sites of memory became a foundation for building a new, partly modified Croatian identity. This raises the question about the role the politics of remembering has had in the Croatian collective identity and the purposes for which it has been formed.The analysis is based on the most popular place of memory – the fall of Vukovar. In Croatian consciousness, Vukovar is a “hero city,” a symbol of the valiant fight against the Great Serbian aggressor during the War. Its fall is an important element of the conflict that is still ongoing between Croats and Serbs, both regionally (in the city) and more broadly (throughout Croatia). In her analysis, the author was trying to see the influence of sites of memory not only on the group which created them but in a wider context as well.The more general aim was to study the discourse of memory and attempt to determine, with reference to specific examples, whether the Croats’ collective memory is a factor of integration or conflict. Pamięć społeczeństwa chorwackiego na przykładzie Vukovaru – „miasta-bohatera”Artykuł dotyczy form pamięci w społeczeństwie chorwackim. Punktem wyjścia stało się pojęcie miejsc pamięci, które autor, Pierre Nora, zdefiniował jako charakterystyczne i symboliczne elementy zapewniające obecność przeszłości w teraźniejszości. Po wojnie ojczyźnianej stały się one podstawą do tworzenia się nowej, zmodyfikowanej tożsamości chorwackiej. Rodzi to pytanie – jaką rolę pełni polityka pamięci w chorwackiej tożsamości zbiorowej i dla jakich celów jest formowana.Analiza opiera się na najpopularniejszym miejscu pamięci – upadku Vukovaru. Vukovar jest w świadomości Chorwatów „miastem bohaterem”, symbolem heroicznej walki z wielkoserbskim agresorem podczas wojny. Jest też ważnym elementem wciąż istniejącego konfliktu między Chorwatami i Serbami w perspektywie wąskiej (w mieście) i szerokiej (obie narodowości w Chorwacji).Autorka starała się zauważyć nie tylko wpływ miejsc pamięci na grupę, w której powstały, lecz także ich szerszy kontekst. Celem była analiza problemu pamięci i próba określenia w odniesieniu do konkretnych przykładów, czy chorwacka pamięć zbiorowa jest czynnikiem integracji czy konfliktu.
Принципи на формалното описание на българските изменяеми лексеми като компонент на нормативната граматика
Authors: Малджиева [Maldjieva] Вяра [Viara]
Published: December 2018

Rules of a formal description of Bulgarian inflected lexemes as a component of normative grammar A formal description of the set of grammatical means in Bulgarian as a component of its normative grammar should form the basis for adequate distinction and diagnosis of normative problems. It means that linguistic facts should be described precisely and exhaustively and without any presupposed normative interpretation. Accomplishment of such an objective may befeasible if the description is treated as the task of building the universal classification of forms in the Bulgarian language understood as the classification in which each of the classifying features finds its fulfilment through one of its values in each of the objects classified.The study is an attempt to determine the rules of building the classification of Bulgarian lexical items relevant to their formal morphological description as a transition from dichotomous to universal classification. Zasady formalnego opisu bułgarskich leksemów odmiennych jako komponentu gramatyki normatywnej Formalny opis inwentarza środków gramatycznych języka bułgarskiego jako komponent jego gramatyki normatywnej powinien stanowić podstawę do adekwatnego wyodrębnienia i zdiagnozowania problemów normatywnych. Oznacza to, że fakty językowe powinny być opisane ściśle i wyczerpująco bez jakiejkolwiek z góry założonej interpretacji normatywnej. Osiągnięcie tego celu wydaje się możliwe, jeśli do opisu podejść jak do zadania zbudowania uniwersalnej klasyfikacji form języka bułgarskiego rozumianej jako klasyfikacji, w której każda z cech klasyfikacyjnych realizuje się poprzez którąś ze swoich wartości w każdym klasyfikowanym obiekcie.Praca ta stanowi próbę ustalenia zasad budowania klasyfikacji jednostek leksykalnych języka bułgarskiego relewantnej dla ich formalnego opisu morfologicznego jako przejścia od klasyfikacji dychotomicznej do uniwersalnej.
Kilka uwag o formalizacji argumentu propozycjonalnego pCaus w zdaniach z przyimkowymi kauzatywnymi wyrażeniami predykatywnymi w języku bułgarskim
Authors: Banasiak Jakub
Published: December 2018

Some remarks on the formalization of the propositional argument pCaus in sentences with prepositional causative predicative expressions in Bulgarian The paper focuses on the means of expressing propositional arguments in sentences with prepositional causative predicative expressions. Special attention is devoted to the causal argument (pCaus) and the processes of syntactic condensation and decondensation. Kilka uwag o formalizacji argumentu propozycjonalnego pCaus w zdaniach z przyimkowymi kauzatywnymi wyrażeniami predykatywnymi w języku bułgarskim W artykule skoncentrowano się na środkach wyrażania argumentów propozycjonalnych w zdaniach z przyimkowymi kauzatywnymi wyrażeniami predykatywnymi. Więcej miejsca poświęcono argumentowi przyczynowemu (pCaus) oraz procesom kondensacji i dekondensacji składniowej.
O sąsiedztwie polsko-ukraińskim. W reakcji na film „Wołyń” Wojtka Smarzowskiego
Authors: Makaro Julita
Published: December 2018

On Polish-Ukrainian neighbourhood. In reaction to Wojtek Smarzowski's movie 'Volhynia'The article attempts at answering the question whether the movie “Volhynia” (pl. Wołyń) translates into the Polish-Ukrainian relationship and, if yes, how? Does Smarzowski’s work play bigger role in the construction of the relation between the nations or rather in the construction of one nation’s certain identity project? In the search of the data necessary to provide an answer, I have conducted a content analysis of the discourse created after the movie premiere as well as a questionnaire study among the students of the social sciences. The conclusions arising from the performed analyses are ambiguous—on the one hand, historical events determine the view of the neighbours; on the other hand, Volhynia understood as a memorial appears not be included in the modern Ukrainianness. Hence, it seems that the most accurate ascertainment is that while in certain social circles the movie “Volhynia” became a factor activating particularly intensive observation of the neighbour (or mutual observation), in others it did not evoke any change in the attitude towards the Ukraine and Ukrainians. O sąsiedztwie polsko-ukraińskim. W reakcji na film „Wołyń” Wojtka SmarzowskiegoCelem artykułu jest próba odpowiedzi na pytanie, czy, i ewentualnie jak, film „Wołyń” przekłada się na relacje polsko-ukraińskie? Czy dzieło Smarzowskiego większą rolę odgrywa w budowaniu relacji miedzy narodami, czy raczej w budowaniu pewnego projektu tożsamościowego jednego narodu. W poszukiwaniu danych niezbędnych do udzielenia odpowiedzi przeprowadzono analizę zawartości dyskursu wytworzonego po wejściu filmu na ekrany oraz przeprowadziłam badanie ankietowe wśród studentów nauk społecznych. Wnioski jakie płyną w prowadzonych analiz są niejednoznaczne – z jednej strony zaszłości historyczne determinują postrzeganie sąsiadów, z drugiej strony Wołyń rozumiany jako miejsce pamięci wydaje się być bytem nie wchodzącym we współczesną ukraińskość. Tym samym najtrafniejsza okazuje się konstatacja, że film „Wołyń” stał się czynnikiem aktywizującym postrzeganie sąsiada (a nawet wzajemne sąsiadów) w niektórych kręgach społecznych szczególnie intensywnie, by w innych nie wywołać w postawach wobec Ukraińców i Ukrainy żadnej zmiany.
Kulturowy obraz Ukrainy. Bułgarzy jako mniejszość narodowa
Authors: Krasowska Helena
Published: December 2018

Cultural image of Ukraine. Bulgarians as a national minorityThe text is a review of Jerzy Hatłas’ book Bulgarians in the Northern Azov Sea region. The forgotten Diaspora. This review provides a brief overview of the seven chapters contained in the book. The book that is reviewed raises relevant and important issues of differentiation of the social world, migration, and sense of separateness and alienation proceeding from them, but also brings up questions of creating a community despite the differences experienced in the daily life. This book contributes to a better consideration of the phenomenon of national minorities in its various manifestations (linguistic, cultural, social, political) by people belonging to the world of science and social experts (politicians, public leaders, and activists). The book can be useful in a teaching process at different levels and in various specialties of education in different countries of Central Europe. Kulturowy obraz Ukrainy. Bułgarzy jako mniejszość narodowaTekst jest recenzją książki Jerzego Hatłasa, Bułgarzy w północnym Nadazowiu. Zapomniana diaspora. Recenzja ta zawiera krótkie omówienie siedmiu rozdziałów zawartych w książce. W recenzowanej książce podjęta jest stale aktualna i ważna problematyka zróżnicowania świata społecznego, migracji i idącego za tym poczucia odrębności, wyobcowania, ale też budowania wspólnoty pomimo dzielących i doświadczanych w toku codziennego życia różnic. Książka ta przyczynia się do lepszego rozpoznania fenomenu mniejszości narodowej w różnych jej aspektach (językowym, kulturowym, społecznym, politycznym) przez osoby należące do świata nauki oraz przez praktyków społecznych (polityków, działaczy i aktywistów). Poszczególne partie książki mogą być pomocne w procesie dydaktycznym na różnych szczeblach i kierunkach kształcenia w różnych krajach Europy Środkowej.
Przemiany narodowościowe w Abchazji od II połowy XIX do początku XXI wieku
Authors: Jakubowski Andrzej
Published: December 2018

Ethnic changes in Abkhazia (2nd half of the 19th century– beginning of the 21st century)Main aim of the paper is to analyse ethnic changes that took place in Abkhazia from the 60s of the 19th century to the present. The paper discusses the changes in ethnic structure of Abkhazia caused by the forced exodus of the Abkhazians to the Ottoman Empire (muhajirstvo), the process of multinational settlement in Abkhazia from the late 19th century to the 1990s, the Georgian-Abkhazian war of 1992-1993 and the national policy of de facto Abkhazia led in the post-war period in the terms of the absence of international recognition. Przemiany narodowościowe w Abchazji od II połowy XIX do początku XXI wiekuCelem artykułu jest analiza przemian narodowościowych, jakie zaszły w Abchazji począwszy od lat 60. XIX wieku do chwili obecnej. W pracy omówiono zmiany w strukturze etnicznej w Abchazji warunkowane przymusowym eksodusem Abchazów do Imperium Osmańskiego (muchadżyrstwo), procesem wielonarodowościowego osadnictwa na te- renie Abchazji od końca XIX wieku do lat 90. XX wieku, wojną gruzińsko-abchaską z lat 1992-1993 oraz polityką narodowościową de facto Abchazji prowadzoną w okresie powojennym w warunkach braku uznania międzynarodowego.
Ujgurskie dziedzictwo kulturowe w starciu z Chińską Republiką Ludową
Authors: Sienko Natalia Justyna
Published: December 2018

Uyghur cultural heritage in the clash with the People’s Republic of ChinaThe main intention of this article is an attempt to answer the question of how the Sino-Uyghur relations affect the cultural heritage of Muslim Uyghurs? The author devoted special attention to the issue of Uyghur ethnic consciousness, which at some stage differentiated the Uyghurs from Chinese civilization. An important part of the work is also an analysis of the contemporary situation in Xinjiang and the problem of growing Uyghur radicalism. A summary of the considerations concerns the analysis of the mechanisms driving the conflict and possible solutions. Ujgurskie dziedzictwo kulturowe w starciu z Chińską Republiką LudowąArtykuł podejmuje próbę odpowiedzi na pytanie, w jaki sposób relacje chińsko–ujgurskie rzutują na kulturowe dziedzictwo muzułmańskich Ujgurów? Szczególną uwagę autorka poświęca zagadnieniu etnicznej świadomości Ujgurów, która na pewnym etapie rozwoju zróżnicowała Ujgurów od chińskiej cywilizacji. Ważną część pracy stanowi również analiza współczesnej sytuacji w Xinjiangu oraz problemu narastającego ujgurskiego radykalizmu. Podsumowanie rozważań dotyczy analizy mechanizmów napędzających konflikt i możliwości jego rozwiązania.
Miejsce Wilna w ideologii litewskiego, przedwojennego nacjonalizmu
Authors: Wakar Marcin
Published: December 2018

The place of Vilnus in the ideology of pre-war Lithuanian nationalismThe text is a critical review of the book authored by Dangiras Mačiulis and Darius Staliūnas, entitled Lithuanian nationalism and the Vilnius question 1883-1940. The book was published in 2015 by the Herder Institute in Marbourg, Germany. The author of this review presents the contents of this publication and analyses the attitude of Lithuanian historians towards the title question. In particular, the sources of the Lithuanian nationalism and Polish-Lithuanian-Belarusian approach to Vilnus are discussed in the review. [Trans. by Jacek Serwański] Miejsce Wilna w ideologii litewskiego, przedwojennego nacjonalizmuTekst jest krytycznym omówieniem wydanej w 2015 roku przez Instytut Herdera w Marburgu książki Dangirasa Mačiulisa i Dariusa Staliūnasa zatytułowanej Lithuanian nationalism and the Vilnius question 1883-1940. Autor recenzji prezentuje zawartość wydawnictwa oraz analizuje jego treść i omawia wykorzystaną przez litewskich historyków bibliografię. Omawia też źródła litewskiego nacjonalizmu i polsko-litewsko-białoruski spór o Wilno.
Education policy and history education as tools for shaping an open society in Poland: A critical anthropological analysis
Authors: Majbroda Katarzyna
Published: December 2018

Education policy and history education as tools for shaping an open society in Poland: A critical anthropological analysisThe aim of this article is to examine the education policy in modern Poland from the anthropological point of view. We will begin with the assumption that education policy is the outcome of social, cultural, economic and political circumstances that influence both the vision of education at a given time, as well as its specific goals. Then we will present modern educational discourses from the perspective of socio-cultural anthropology as a cultural criticism and an essential part of new interventional humanities. The main purpose of this article is to address whether modern education policy, and above all history education in Poland, can be used as a tool to shape an open society as understood by Karl Popper. We will also demonstrate how official education discourse in Poland highlights patriotic and even nationalist issues, while silencing socio-cultural values and practices that constitute the foundation of democracy and open society. Współczesna polityka edukacyjna i nauczanie historii w Polsce jako narzędzia kształtowania społeczeństwa otwartego. Krytyczna analiza antropologicznaCelem artykułu jest pokazanie współczesnej polityki edukacyjnej funkcjonującej w Polsce w perspektywie antropologii społeczno-kulturowej. Punktem wyjścia jest założenie, iż polityka edukacyjna jest wynikiem splotu czynników społecznych, kulturowych, ekonomicznych oraz politycznych, które wpływają zarówno na obowiązującą w określonym czasie wizję edukacji jako takiej, jak i na jej cele szczegółowe. Tekst pokazuje współczesne dyskursy edukacyjne w perspektywie antropologii społeczno-kulturowej widzianej jako krytyka kulturowa i istotna część nowej humanistyki o charakterze interwencyjnym. W tym kontekście głównym wątkiem spajającym niniejszy artykuł jest pytanie o to, czy współczesna polityka edukacyjna a przede wszystkim edukacja historyczna w Polsce stanowią narzędzia kształtowania społeczeństwa otwartego w rozumieniu Karla Poppera. Istotnym aspektem tekstu jest pokazanie rozwijanego w Polsce oficjalnego dyskursu edukacyjnego, który eksponuje wątki patriotyczne, a nawet nacjonalistyczne, wyciszając wartości i praktyki społeczno-kulturowe, będące fundamentem demokracji i społeczeństwa otwartego.
Underground po Śląsku
Authors: Zańko Piotr , Pęczak Mirosław
Published: December 2018

Underground music scene in SilesiaUpper Silesia is usually associated with the historical land situated in southern Poland with highly developed industry, mainly mines and steelworks. The inhabitants of Upper Silesia are perceived as conservatist. In spite of that, it is Upper Silesia, precisely Gliwice, where the most vigorous underground music scene in communist Poland was created at the beginning of the 1980s. The Gliwice Alternative Scene was focused around student clubs in Gliwice with „Gwarek” as the representative one. In this article we will show the artistic legacy of chosen musical bands from GAS such as Smierc Kliniczna, R.A.P., Absurd, Processs, Brzytwa Ojca. In particular we will analyze the lyrics and quote interviews with the musicians from the before mentioned bands. We will therefore demonstrate that the Gliwice Alternative Scene was not only an alternative to the blues scene, which was very popular in Upper Silesia, but also through the fusion of punk, reggae and new wave as well as unconventional, radical lyrics, it stood out among other bands which created the Polish underground musical scene of the 1980s. In terms of its social impact, it was a “niche within a niche”. Finally, it is worth noting that the Gliwice Alternative Scene was beyond censorship and the dominant communist discourse. Underground po ŚląskuGliwicka Alternatywna Scena (GAS) była jednym z najprężniej rozwijających się środowisk alternatywnego rocka w Polsce lat 80. Organizowała się od początku tamtej dekady w gliwickich klubach studenckich, z których najbardziej emblematycznym miejscem okazał się „Gwarek”. Najważniejszymi zespołami GAS były: Śmierć Kliniczna, R.A.P., Absurd, Processs, Brzytwa Ojca. W tekście skupiamy się w szczególności na analizie tekstów piosenek wymienionych zespołów oraz treści wywiadów narracyjnych, prasowych, radiowych przeprowadzonych z muzykami współtworzącymi GAS. Wynika z nich, że opisywane przez nas zjawisko dobrze oddawało ducha całej polskiej alternatywy ostatniej dekady PRL, jak i pozostawało fenomenem specyficznym w skali regionalnej.
Aerosol Direct Radiative and Cloud Adjustment Effects on Surface Climate over Eastern China: Analyses of WRF Model Simulations
Authors: Song Yangyang , Chen Guoxing , Wang Wei-Chyung
Published: December 2018

The WRF-simulated changes in clouds and climate due to the increased anthropogenic aerosols for the summers of 2002–08 (vs the 1970s) over eastern China were used to offline calculate the radiative forcings associated with aerosol–radiation (AR) and aerosol–cloud–radiation (ACR) interactions, which subsequently facilitated the interpretation of surface temperature changes. During this period, the increases of aerosol optical depth (ΔAOD) averaged over eastern China range from 0.18 in 2004 to 0.26 in 2007 as compared to corresponding cases in the 1970s, and the multiyear means (standard deviations) of AR and ACR forcings at the surface are −6.7 (0.58) and −3.5 (0.63) W m−2, respectively, indicating the importance of cloud changes in affecting both the aerosol climate forcing and its interannual variation. The simulated mean surface cooling is 0.35°C, dominated by AR and ACR with a positive (cooling) feedback associated with changes in meteorology (~10%), and two negative (warming) feedbacks associated with decreases in latent (~70%) and sensible (~20%) heat fluxes. More detailed spatial characteristics were analyzed using ensemble simulations for the year 2008. Three regions—Jing-Jin-Ji (ΔAOD ~ 0.63), Sichuan basin (ΔAOD ~ 0.31), and middle Yangtze River valley (ΔAOD ~ 0.26)—at different climate regimes were selected to investigate the relative roles of AR and ACR. While the AR forcing is closely related to ΔAOD values, the ACR forcing presents different regional characteristics owing to cloud changes. In addition, the surface heat flux feedbacks are also different between regions. The study thus illustrates that ACR forcing is useful as a diagnostic parameter to unravel the complexity of climate change to aerosol forcing over eastern China.
Extracting Features of Entertainment Products: A Guided Latent Dirichlet Allocation Approach Informed by the Psychology of Media Consumption
Authors: Toubia Olivier , Iyengar Garud , Bunnell Renée , Lemaire Alain
Published: December 2018

The authors propose a quantitative approach for describing entertainment products, in a way that allows for improving the predictive performance of consumer choice models for these products. Their approach is based on the media psychology literature, which suggests that people’s consumption of entertainment products is influenced by the psychological themes featured in these products. They classify psychological themes on the basis of the “character strengths” taxonomy from the positive psychology literature (Peterson and Seligman 2004). They develop a natural language processing tool, guided latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), that automatically extracts a set of features of entertainment products from their descriptions. Guided LDA is flexible enough to allow features to be informed by psychological themes while allowing other relevant dimensions to emerge. The authors apply this tool to movies and show that guided LDA features help better predict movie-watching behavior at the individual level. They find this result with both award-winning movies and blockbuster movies. They illustrate the potential of the proposed approach in pure content-based predictive models of consumer behavior, as well as in hybrid predictive models that combine content-based models with collaborative filtering. They also show that guided LDA can improve the performance of models that predict aggregate outcomes.
From lexical to functional categories: New foundations for the study of language development
Authors: Dye Cristina , Kedar Yarden , Lust Barbara
Published: December 2018

Scholars of language development have long been challenged to understand the development of functional categories. Traditionally, it was assumed that children’s language development initially relies on lexical elements, while functional elements become accessible only at later periods; and that it is lexical growth which bootstraps grammatical development. Over the last decades, however, a growing body of empirical research has come to contradict the traditional view. This new research involves a wide range of methodologies (e.g. discrimination, comprehension, production, neurophysiological) and a variety of languages, and extends the study of functional categories throughout development, beginning in infancy. In this article, the authors review a transformation that has occurred in the field. While lexical categories have long been assumed to be foundational to language acquisition, now functional categories have been revealed to play a foundational role. The article selects highlights of critical evidence emerging from various methods, languages and developmental periods, and articulates leading questions that now confront our field. Evidence suggests that language acquisition in the child, which begins long before first words, includes a continuous acquisition of functional categories. Functional categories provide a skeleton for sentence construction and a foundation for grammatical organization throughout acquisition.
Binary and Nonbinary Measures of Successful Aging: Do They Yield Comparable Conclusions?
Authors: Manierre Matthew
Published: December 2018

Recently, some researchers have employed nonbinary measures of successful aging. Little has been done to determine whether these newer measures yield similar findings compared to traditional binary measures. To test for differences, three measures of successful aging were constructed within five waves of the Americans’ Changing Lives data set. A number of demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial predictors were used to predict each outcome, examining whether estimates of effect sizes and statistical significance were similar across measures. Although many effect sizes were similar, conclusions regarding statistical significance were inconsistent. For instance, the binary measure downplayed income gradients, the ordinal measure found more racial disparities, and the continuous measure was most likely to detect effects for stressful life events. These differences may be due to the statistical techniques used to handle each outcome. Results imply that uneven application of operationalization approaches may complicate replication efforts, suggesting a need for consistent measurement standards.
Social life and political trust in China: Searching for machers and schmoozers
Authors: Huang Yinxuan
Published: December 2018

Previous literature has provided little evidence regarding the ways in which China’s burgeoning social life and rapid urbanization shape Chinese people’s level of trust in their government leaders. This article builds on Robert Putnam’s conceptualization of maching and schmoozing as formal and informal forms of social involvement, respectively. Using the 2012 Chinese General Social Survey, we identify four types of participants in social involvement, namely the inactives, machers, schmoozers and all-rounders, to untangle various aspects of social life in China. Our empirical analysis shows that the sociodemographic positions of the four types of social involvement are largely distinct. Our findings also contribute to the study of political trust by offering insight into the complicated associations between social involvement, hukou status and political trust in contemporary Chinese society.
Sources of Business Unit Performance Heterogeneity in India: The Influence of Ownership
Authors: Gadepalli Sarada Devi , Mondal Arindam
Published: December 2018

Executive Summary

This article examines the differential impact of ownership on the relative importance of corporate headquarters, industry, and business units on the performance of business units of firms in India. Different sets of owners have diverse objectives due to which there are variations in strategic choices resulting in the variance in performance of firms. This article first examines the extent to which variance in business unit performance can be attributed to ownership. It subsequently evaluates the relative importance of industry, corporate headquarters, and business units in explaining business unit performance variance of domestic firms and MNEs. The analysis for this article is based on a unique hand-collated database that contains details of the business units of domestic firms and MNEs operating in India. These details include business unit performance as well as the industry affiliation of the business unit. The article leverages multilevel analysis to understand the relative importance of the various effects. This analysis helps to know the magnitude of the various effects as well as their statistical significance. The results indicate that ownership is a significant institutional variable that explains business unit performance. An examination of the magnitudes of the effects also suggest that business unit effects and corporate effects are more important than industry effects in explaining business unit performance of firms operating in India. The magnitude of the business unit effects is greater than the corporate effects in the case of domestic firms. In the case of the MNE affiliates, although the magnitude of the corporate effects are greater than the business unit effects, this difference is not statistically significant. Overall, these results reinforce other empirical results that establish the importance of firm resources and capabilities in influencing firm performance as compared to the industry structure. These results are significant because in the Indian context, although studies have so far evaluated firm performance, they have not disaggregated the business unit and corporate headquarters effects. This article aligns the study of performance variance of Indian firms with those conducted across the globe and helps to compare how the relative importance of various effects vary. It makes an important contribution by including ownership in the study of business unit performance variance of Indian firms.
Role of Self-efficacy, Optimism and Job Engagement in Positive Change: Evidence from the Middle East
Authors: Chhajer Raina , Rose Elizabeth L. , Joseph Thomas
Published: December 2018

Executive Summary

Positive change comprises an examination of the factors that influence the adaptation of a positive lens, positively deviant performance, the effects of an affirmative bias, and the impact of pursuing the best of human conditions in an organization. To generate positive change, a Middle Eastern financial services firm designed and implemented a positive business initiative ‘RACE’, which involved various sports, arts, cultural, and everyday business activities, intended to engage employees and build their psychological strengths.

In the context of RACE initiative, this study examines the role of self-efficacy, optimism, and job engagement in positive change. Self-efficacy is a specific, positive expectation of success based on belief in one’s individual abilities. Employees’ with higher levels of optimism tend to maintain positive expectation about what will happen to them in the process of change. Employees who are engaged in the jobs bring in their complete selves by investing physical, emotional, and cognitive energies.

This study explores the relationship of self-efficacy and optimism with performance outcome. It further provides an explanation of this relationship through the mediating role of three dimensions of job engagement, that is, cognitive, emotional, and physical.

Responses were collected from 406 employees who participated in the RACE initiative. While all of the respondents are based in the UAE, the sample is international in nature, encompassing 15 countries. These respondents were asked to assess their own self-efficacy, optimism, and job engagement, along with their perception of the team-level performance of the branch office in which they work. The hypothesized relationships were tested in AMOS 20 using structural equation modeling.

The results indicate that higher levels of self-efficacy and optimism significantly predict higher levels of cognitive, emotional, and physical engagement. Also, the higher levels of cognitive, emotional, and physical engagement significantly predict performance. Further, significant indirect effects support the mediating role of job engagement in relationship between these psychological strengths and performance outcome. Thus, employees’ level of self-efficacy, optimism, and job engagement can be enhanced by designing and implementing business initiatives that are relevant to positive change.
Changes in right ventricular longitudinal function: primary mitral and concomitant tricuspid valve repair
Authors: Ordienė Rasa , Orda Paulius , Vaškelytė Jolanta Justina , Stoškutė Neris , Kazakauskaitė Eglė , Benetis Rimantas , Punjabi Prakash P. , Karčiauskas Dainius , Ereminienė Eglė
Published: December 2018

Objectives:

To evaluate the impact of concomitant tricuspid valve (TV) repair on the right ventricular (RV) function postoperatively and within the 6 months following degenerative mitral valve (MV) repair.

Methods:

The prospective study included 37 patients (mean age 57.32 ± 2.13 years) with severe MV regurgitation due to primary MV prolapse. Nineteen underwent successful MV repair (TV(−) group). Additional TV repair due to moderate-to-severe TV regurgitation was performed in 18 (TV(+) group). Two-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking and tissue Doppler echocardiography was performed for all patients before surgery and 7 days and 6 months after surgery.

Results:

Preoperative dimensions and indices of RV longitudinal function did not differ between the groups (right ventricle end-diastolic diameter (RVEDD) was 33.53 ± 0.94 mm vs. 34.67 ± 1.72 mm, tricuspid annular systolic motion (S’) was 15.06 ± 0.85 cm/s vs. 16.0 ± 1.27 cm/s, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) was 24.02 ± 1.06 mm vs. 22.4 ± 1.36 mm, respectively; p>0.05). RVEDD decreased significantly and did not change within the follow-up in the TV(−) group. In the TV(+) group, RVEDD decreased early after surgery and more markedly six months later in comparison to the TV(−) group. Indices of RV systolic longitudinal function decreased early after surgery and had a tendency to increase after six months in both groups. Regional longitudinal strains of the lateral RV wall decreased early after surgery and improved within the six months in the TV(−) group and did not change significantly in the TV(+) group.

Conclusions:

Additional TV repair in degenerative MV repair more markedly reduces RV dimensions and does not have a negative impact on RV systolic function in comparison to an isolated MV repair although these conclusions are of limited value due to the lack of a control group.
Responses to inpatient victimisation in mental health settings in England and Wales
Authors: Ellison Louise , Berzins Kathryn
Published: December 2018

Mental health inpatients are known to be at risk of criminal victimisation, but the experiences of this vulnerable victim population seldom receive mention in the victimological literature. Against this backdrop, this article explores to what extent and in what ways mental health inpatients report victimisation, and provides the first systematic analysis of what the existing evidence base tells us about the subsequent responses of mental health services and criminal justice agencies, particularly in England and Wales. Identified knowledge gaps are problematised as impediments to evaluation of both policy and practice in this context. An agenda for future research is additionally sketched out.
Identifying Health Literacy in Kansas Using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Authors: Chesser Amy K. , Reyes Jared , Keene Woods Nikki
Published: December 2018

Health literacy continues to be an important research topic as part of population-based assessments for overall health issues. The objective of this continuation study was to examine the health literacy rates and health outcomes as measured by the Kansas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. A cross-sectional research design was used. Health literacy data were extracted from the state-specific module of the BRFSS telephone survey. Demographic and health status variables were extracted from the core BRFSS dataset. The association between demographic and health status characteristics with health literacy was obtained using weighted samples in multivariable logistic regression models. As in the previous study, most respondents had moderate health literacy (61.1%), followed by high health literacy (31.4%) and low health literacy (7.5%). The demographic variables of interest included race, marital status, home ownership, insurance status, metropolitan status code, survey language, veteran status, education, employment, income, sex, and age. The health status variables included general health rating, presence of chronic conditions, and length of time since last check-up. Findings include individuals with low levels of health literacy were nearly 7 times as likely to be unsure of at least one health condition than those with high health literacy and demonstrate a broad gap in people’s ability to communicate accurate information to health-care providers. Results can inform future efforts to build programs that address health disparities issues including low health literacy to provide equitable health-care services. There is a continued need for support for the creation of health literate programs.
Pheochromocytoma in Dogs Undergoing Adrenalectomy
Authors: Zini Eric , Nolli Silvia , Ferri Filippo , Massari Federico , Gerardi Gabriele , Nicoli Stefano , Romanelli Giorgio , Montinaro Vincenzo , Trez Davide , Cavicchioli Laura , Ferro Silvia
Published: December 2018

Pheochromocytoma is frequent in dogs and carries a guarded prognosis. Current histological criteria may not predict malignant behavior in dogs, similar to humans. In humans, characterization of tumors has been refined using the pheochromocytoma of the adrenal gland scaled score (PASS) and by immunohistochemistry. The study aim was to investigate PASS and immunohistochemical markers used in humans in 24 dogs with pheochromocytoma that underwent adrenalectomy. Dogs with pheochromocytomas were reviewed and tumors collected. Histological sections were evaluated to apply the PASS and were single-labeled for chromogranin A, Ki-67, COX-2, p53, BCL-2, c-erbB-2, vascular endothelial growth factor, and S100. Survival, age, and vascular and capsular invasion were compared for PASS and immunohistochemical markers; results of PASS were also compared for each marker. Associations between markers were tested. PASS and immunohistochemical markers did not differ for survival, age, and vascular and capsular invasion. Tumors showing BCL-2 expression in >50% cells had lower PASS than those with lower expression (PASS: 7 ± 2 vs 9 ± 2; P = .011). Tumors positive for S100 had higher PASS than those that were negative (PASS: 10 ± 2 vs 7 ± 2; P = .001). Results of the different markers were not associated. In conclusion, in the context of canine pheochromocytoma, PASS and the selected immunohistochemical markers are not associated with survival, age, or vascular or capsular invasion. The higher PASS in S100-positive tumors may indicate that pheochromocytomas developing morphologic changes acquire S100 expression. The significance of lower PASS in tumors with elevated BCL-2 expression is uncertain. Overall, the use of PASS and the present immunohistochemical markers may not be useful in dogs with pheochromocytoma.
Comparison of Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes of Vertical Simple Stitch Versus Modified Mason-Allen Stitch in Arthroscopic Bankart Repairs: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study
Authors: Park Jin-Young , Chung Seok Won , Lee Jong Soo , Oh Kyung-Soo , Lee Jae-Hyung
Published: December 2018

Background:

In spite of the probable advantages of Bankart repair with modified Mason-Allen technique, there has been no study to evaluate the clinical outcomes of the modified Mason-Allen technique for Bankart repair.

Purpose:

To prospectively compare the anatomic and clinical outcomes between the vertical simple stitch and the modified Mason-Allen stitch with respect to the labral height, retear rate, redislocation/apprehension, and various functional outcome scores.

Study Design:

Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

Patients who underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair with double-loaded suture anchors were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 groups: the vertical simple stitch method (SS; n = 45) or the Bankart repair using modified Mason-Allen technique (BRUMA; n = 41). All patients underwent computed tomography arthrography at 6 months postoperatively and various functional outcome measurements at least 2 years postoperatively. The labral height and width at the 3-, 4-, and 5-o’clock positions were measured preoperatively and at 6 months after surgery on axial computed tomography arthrography; the redislocation/apprehension rate, the retear rate, and various functional outcome scores were evaluated at each follow-up visit.

Results:

Postoperative labral height and width were significantly increased at all locations (all P < .001) in both groups, but they were not statistically different between groups (all P > .05). Two patients in the SS group (4.4%) and 2 in the BRUMA group (4.9%) experienced redislocation after surgery, and 4 patients in the SS group (8.9%) and 2 in the BRUMA group (4.9%) group showed apprehension after surgery. Additionally, 5 patients in the SS group (11.1%) and 2 in the BRUMA group (4.9%) showed retear at 6 months ( P = .239). There were no differences in any functional outcome scores (all P > .05).

Conclusion:

There was no difference in the radiologic outcomes at 6 months and the clinical outcomes assessed at least 2 years after surgery between the groups.
Effects of Ultra-Purified Alginate Gel Implantation on Meniscal Defects in Rabbits
Authors: Kim WooYoung , Onodera Tomohiro , Kondo Eiji , Kawaguchi Yasuyuki , Terkawi Mohamad Alaa , Baba Rikiya , Hontani Kazutoshi , Joutoku Zenta , Matsubara Shinji , Homan Kentaro , Hishimura Ryosuke , Iwasaki Norimasa
Published: December 2018

Background:

Many tissue-engineered methods for meniscal repair have been studied, but their utility remains unclear.

Hypothesis:

Implantation of low-endotoxin, ultra-purified alginate (UPAL) gel without cells could induce fibrocartilage regeneration on meniscal defects in rabbits.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Forty-two mature Japanese White rabbits were divided into 2 groups of 21 animals each. In each animal, a cylindrical defect measuring 2 mm in diameter was created with a biopsy punch on the anterior horn of the medial meniscus. In the control group, no treatment was applied on the left medial meniscal defect. In the UPAL gel group, the right medial meniscal defect was injected with the UPAL gel and gelated by a CaCl2 solution. Samples were evaluated at 3, 6, and 12 weeks postoperatively. For biomechanical evaluation, 6 additional samples from intact animals were used for comparison.

Results:

The macroscopic score was significantly greater in the UPAL gel group than in the control group at 3 weeks (mean ± SE: 5.6 ± 0.82 vs 3.4 ± 0.83, P = .010), 6 weeks (5.9 ± 0.72 vs 2.5 ± 0.75, P = .026), and 12 weeks (5.2 ± 1.21 vs 1.0 ± 0.63, P = .020). The histological score was significantly greater in the UPAL group than in the control group at 3 weeks (2.1 ± 0.31 vs 1.2 ± 0.25, P = .029) and 12 weeks (2.2 ± 0.55 vs 0.3 ± 0.21, P = .016). The mean stiffness of the reparative tissue in the UPAL gel group was significantly greater than that in the control group at 6 weeks (24.325 ± 3.920 N/mm vs 8.723 ± 1.190 N/mm, P = .006) and at 12 weeks (27.804 ± 6.169 N/mm vs not applicable [because of rupture]).

Conclusion:

The UPAL gel enhanced the spontaneous repair of fibrocartilage tissues in a cylindrical meniscal defect in rabbits.

Clinical Relevance:

These results imply that the acellular UPAL gel may improve the repair of traumatic meniscal injuries.
Outcomes With a Focus on Return to Play for Revision Ulnar Collateral Ligament Surgery Among Elite-Level Baseball Players: A Systematic Review
Authors: Glogovac Georgina , Grawe Brian M.
Published: December 2018

Background:

Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction is commonly performed among overhead throwing athletes. Previous studies demonstrated relatively high rates of return to sport after primary reconstruction. Outcomes after revision UCL reconstruction have not been widely studied.

Purpose:

To report the rate of return to sport after revision UCL reconstruction among elite-level baseball players.

Study Design:

Systematic review.

Methods:

A systematic review of the literature following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Meta-Analyses) guidelines was performed for high-level baseball players undergoing revision UCL reconstruction. Study bias was assessed with the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies scoring system. The primary outcome measure was whether the study participants were able to return to sport after revision UCL reconstruction. Secondary outcome measures included career length after revision and pitching performance statistics. Data were summarized with ranges, tables, and weighted averages. A subjective analysis was performed.

Results:

A total of 5 studies met inclusion criteria. The rate of return to sport at preinjury level was 62.8%. Among Major League Baseball pitchers, the rate of return to sport at the preinjury level was 68.8%. The rate of return to sport at the same level or lower (Major League Baseball, minor league, collegiate) was 78.1%. Time to return to sport ranged from 1.3 to 1.7 years. Mean earned run average after revision ranged from 4.87 to 5.04. Mean number of innings pitched per season after revision ranged from 36.95 to 50.5.

Conclusion:

This systematic review demonstrated a limited rate of return to preinjury level of sport among elite-level baseball players who underwent revision UCL reconstruction. Pitching durability and career longevity were inferior to results that were reported for players who underwent primary UCL reconstruction alone. This study suggests that outcomes after revision UCL reconstruction are not reliable and elite-level players should be counseled accordingly.
Health, Social, Education, and Justice Outcomes of Manitoba First Nations Children Diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A Population-Based Cohort Study of Linked Administrative Data
Authors: Brownell Marni , Enns Jennifer E. , Hanlon-Dearman Ana , Chateau Dan , Phillips-Beck Wanda , Singal Deepa , MacWilliam Leonard , Longstaffe Sally , Chudley Ab , Elias Brenda , Roos Noralou
Published: December 2018

Objective:

To examine health services, social services, education, and justice system outcomes among First Nations children and youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

Methods:

In this retrospective cohort study, health and social services, education, and justice data were linked with clinical records on First Nations (FN) individuals aged 1 to 25 and diagnosed with FASD between 1999 and 2010 ( n = 743). We compared the FN FASD group to non-FN individuals with FASD (non-FN FASD; n = 315) and to First Nations individuals (matched on age, sex, and income) not diagnosed with FASD (FN non-FASD; n = 2229). Rates and relative risks (RRs) were calculated using generalized linear models.

Results:

FN FASD individuals had similar health services use to non-FN FASD individuals but had greater involvement with child welfare (RR, 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 1.41) and the justice system (RR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.74) and were more likely to be charged with a crime (RR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.86). There were no suicides/suicide attempts among the non-FN FASD individuals during the study, but the crude rate/100 person-years of suicides among FN FASD individuals (0.22 for females; 1.06 for males) was substantially higher than for FN non-FASD individuals (0.08 for females; 0.32 for males). There were no significant differences between groups in the education outcomes we measured.

Conclusions:

Young people with FASD are at risk for poor health, education, and social outcomes, but First Nations young people with FASD face comparably higher risks, particularly with child welfare and justice system involvement. The study emphasizes a critical need for appropriate resources for First Nations children with FASD.