bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Political Economy and Metal Trade in Bronze Age Europe: Understanding Regional Variability in Terms of Comparative Advantages and Articulations
Authors: Earle Timothy , Ling Johan , Uhnér Claes , Stos-Gale Zofia , Melheim Lene
Published: May 2015

In the second millennium cal BC, a new metal conquered Europe: the alloy of copper and tin that improved the quality of tools and weapons. This development, we argue, initiated a framework for a new political economy. We explore how a political economy approach may help understand the European Bronze Age by focussing on regional comparative advantages in long-distance trade and resulting bottlenecks in commodity flows. Links existed in commodity chains, where obligated labour and ownership of resources helped mobilize surpluses, thus creating potential for social segments to control the production and flows of critical goods. The political economy of Bronze Age Europe would thus represent a transformation in how would-be leaders mobilized resources to support their political ends. The long-distance trade in metals and other commodities created a shift from local group ownership towards increasingly individual strategies to obtain wealth from macro-regional trade. We construct our argument to make sense of available data, but recognize that our model's primary purpose is to structure future research to test the model.
VPS33B regulates protein sorting into and maturation of α-granule progenitor organelles in mouse megakaryocytes
Authors: Bem Danai , Smith Holly , Banushi Blerida , Burden Jemima J. , White Ian J. , Hanley Joanna , Jeremiah Nadia , Rieux-Laucat Frédéric , Bettels Ruth , Ariceta Gema , Mumford Andrew D. , Thomas Steven G. , Watson Steve P. , Gissen Paul
Published: May 2015

Key Points

Hematologic effects in the mouse model for ARC syndrome, Vps33bfl/fl-ERT2, in which Vps33b is ubiquitously excised post-development. The VPS33B-VIPAR complex is responsible for sorting cargo to and maturation of α-granule-destined MVBs.
Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using aspartame and their catalytic activity for p-nitrophenol reduction
Authors: Wu Shufen , Yan Songjing , Qi Wei , Huang Renliang , Cui Jing , Su Rongxin , He Zhimin
Published: May 2015

We demonstrated a facile and environmental-friendly approach to form gold nanoparticles through the reduction of HAuCl4 by aspartame. The single-crystalline structure was illustrated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results indicated that aspartame played a pivotal role in the reduction and stabilization of the gold crystals. The crystals were stabilized through the successive hydrogen-bonding network constructed between the water and aspartame molecules. Additionally, gold nanoparticles synthesized through aspartame were shown to have good catalytic activity for the reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol in the presence of NaBH4.
Plasmonic circular resonators for refractive index sensors and filters
Authors: Wei Wei , Zhang Xia , Ren Xiaomin
Published: May 2015

A plasmonic refractive index sensor based on a circular resonator is proposed. With all three dimensions below 1 μm, the sensor has a compact and simple structure granting it ease-of-fabrication and ease-of-use. It is capable of sensing trace amounts of liquid or gas samples. The sensing properties are investigated using finite elements method. The results demonstrate that the plasmonic sensor has a relatively high sensitivity of 1,010 nm/RIU, and the corresponding sensing resolution is 9.9 × 10−5 RIU. The sensor has a relatively high quality factor of 35, which is beneficial for identifying each transmission spectrum. More importantly, the sensitivity is not sensitive to changes of structure parameters, which means that the sensitivity of the sensor is immune to the fabrication deviation. In addition, with a transmittance of 5% at the resonant wavelength, this plasmonic structure can also be employed as a filter. In addition, by filling material like LiNbO3 or liquid crystal in the circular resonator, this filter can realize an adjustable wavelength-selective characteristic in a wide band.
Effects of early hemodynamic resuscitation on left ventricular performance and microcirculatory function during endotoxic shock
Authors: López Alejandra , Grignola Juan Carlos , Angulo Martín , Alvez Ignacio , Nin Nicolás , Lacuesta Gonzalo , Baz Manuel , Cardinal Pablo , Prestes Ivana , Bouchacourt Juan P , Riva Juan , Ince Can , Hurtado Francisco Javier
Published: May 2015

Background

Microcirculation and macrohemodynamics are severely compromised during septic shock. However, the relationship between these two compartments needs to be further investigated. We hypothesized that early resuscitation restores left ventricular (LV) performance and microcirculatory function but fails to prevent metabolic disorders. We studied the effects of an early resuscitation protocol (ERP) on LV pressure/volume loops-derived parameters, sublingual microcirculation, and metabolic alterations during endotoxic shock.

Methods

Twenty-five pigs were randomized into three groups: LPS group: Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS); ERP group: LPS + ERP based on volume expansion, dobutamine, and noradrenaline infusion; Sham group. LV pressure/volume-derived parameters, systemic hemodynamics, sublingual microcirculation, and metabolic profile were assessed at baseline and after completing the resuscitation protocol.

Results

LPS significantly decreased LV end-diastolic volume, myocardial contractility, stroke work, and cardiac index (CI). Early resuscitation preserved preload, and myocardial contractility, increased CI and heart rate (p < .05). LPS severely diminished sublingual microvascular flow index (MFI), perfused vascular density (PVD), and the proportion of perfused vessels (PPV), while increased the heterogeneity flow index (HFI) (p < .05). Despite MFI was relatively preserved, MVD, PVD, and HFI were significantly impaired after resuscitation (p < .05). The macro- and microcirculatory changes were associated with increased lactic acidosis and mixed venous O2 saturation when compared to baseline values (p < .05). The scatter plot between mean arterial pressure (MAP) and MFI showed a biphasic relationship, suggesting that the values were within the limits of microvascular autoregulation when MAP was above 71 ± 6 mm Hg (R
2 = 0.63).

Conclusions

Early hemodynamic resuscitation was effective to restore macrohemodynamia and myocardial contractility. Despite MAP and MFI were relatively preserved, the persistent microvascular dysfunction could explain metabolic disorders. The relationship between micro- and systemic hemodynamia and their impact on cellular function and metabolism needs to be further studied during endotoxic shock.
Learning from theQadi: The Jurisdiction of Local Rule in the Early Colonial Andes
Authors: Graubart Karen B.
Published: May 2015

The political jurisdiction of the colonial cacique, or ethnic lord, is often understood to have been truncated or undermined by Spanish political administration. But the role of the cacique was also key to enabling Spanish administrators to extract wealth from native communities. What exactly that role was is undocumented in Spanish-language archival materials. By examining recent literature on the Iberian qadi, or judge of the Islamic community under Christian rule, this study argues that the cacique, like the qadi, maintained his or her local authority and jurisdiction. Evidence for this hidden jurisdiction is found in a sixteenth-century case that was set aside by the Real Audiencia because it fell outside that body's jurisdiction and within the dominion of the cacique.
Judging, Inevitably: Aesthetic Judgment and Novelistic Form in Fielding’sJoseph Andrews
Authors: Soni Vivasvan
Published: May 2015

Henry Fielding’s Joseph Andrews is often thought to have inaugurated a tradition of sociological observation in the novel, and it also cultivates a practice of judgment in readers. Yet the social theory that informs Fielding’s novel (Thomas Hobbes, Bernard Mandeville) is dominated by a sense of inevitability, whereas judgment concerns the things that can be otherwise. A close reading of Joseph Andrews shows that Fielding does not deploy uncritically the methods and assumptions of a nascent social theory. Rather, he teaches us that those methods and assumptions hold only for the advent of a commercial modernity that renders judgment all but obsolete. Refusing the sentimental (Richardsonian) and aesthetic (Shaftesburian) responses to this social theory as also complicit in the elision of judgment, Fielding works to transform the emerging novel into a narrative and aesthetic form capable of restoring our capacity for judgment.
In Saecula Saeculorum: On How Stories End
Authors: Thorne Christian
Published: May 2015

Narratologists often profess a distaste for stories that end unambiguously. The emphatic ending is thought simplistic, politically retrograde, and more common in traditional and commercial narrative forms (the folk tale, the realist novel, the feature film) and accordingly less common in modernist and experimental fiction. None of these claims survives scrutiny. A rereading of Roland Barthes’s S/Z (1970) should reveal the many shortcuts a narratologist has to take to celebrate open endings as liberating and should also disclose some of the ideological purposes to which this celebration has been put.
Uncertainty and Urban Life
Authors: Zeiderman Austin , Kaker Sobia Ahmad , Silver Jonathan , Wood Astrid
Published: May 2015

This essay examines the influence of uncertainty on how contemporary cities are planned, built, governed, and inhabited. This influence is demonstrated through the analysis of various domains of urban planning and governance (disaster, security, energy, and transportation) across four cities of the global South (Bogotá, Karachi, Accra, and Johannesburg). In each city, uncertainty is produced by historical conditions and productive of future possibilities.
Bored Stiff: Sex and Superfluity in a Time of Crisis
Authors: O’Neill Bruce
Published: May 2015

This essay reflects upon the intimate entanglement of superfluity and boredom in postcommunist Bucharest, Romania, where the politics of social exclusion unfolds through the inability to participate in consumer practices and chronic underconsumption leaves the city’s most excluded population—the homeless—bored day in and day out. In response, men discarded from work and home by a brutally competitive economy head into the bowels of the city’s transit hubs, where they organize a market for sexual favors. This essay takes this consumer-based response to deepening poverty as an opportunity to explore the subjective and affective dimensions of radical exclusion in a prolonged moment of neoliberal instability. It asks, ultimately, what kind of danger does boredom, and the inclination to manage that boredom through consumer practices, pose? This is a historical and ethnographic question that provides insight into the stiffening of class boundaries in Bucharest, but also in other similarly positioned cities in Eastern Europe and the global South.
Short germ insects utilize both the ancestral and derived mode of Polycomb group-mediated epigenetic silencing of Hox genes
Authors: Matsuoka Yuji , Bando Tetsuya , Watanabe Takahito , Ishimaru Yoshiyasu , Noji Sumihare , Popadić Aleksandar , Mito Taro
Published: May 2015

In insect species that undergo long germ segmentation, such as Drosophila, all segments are specified simultaneously at the early blastoderm stage. As embryogenesis progresses, the expression boundaries of Hox genes are established by repression of gap genes, which is subsequently replaced by Polycomb group (PcG) silencing. At present, however, it is not known whether patterning occurs this way in a more ancestral (short germ) mode of embryogenesis, where segments are added gradually during posterior elongation. In this study, two members of the PcG family, Enhancer of zeste (E(z)) and Suppressor of zeste 12 (Su(z)12), were analyzed in the short germ cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus. Results suggest that although stepwise negative regulation by gap and PcG genes is present in anterior members of the Hox cluster, it does not account for regulation of two posterior Hox genes, abdominal-A (abd-A) and Abdominal-B (Abd-B). Instead, abd-A and Abd-B are predominantly regulated by PcG genes, which is the mode present in vertebrates. These findings suggest that an intriguing transition of the PcG-mediated silencing of Hox genes may have occurred during animal evolution. The ancestral bilaterian state may have resembled the current vertebrate mode of regulation, where PcG-mediated silencing of Hox genes occurs before their expression is initiated and is responsible for the establishment of individual expression domains. Then, during insect evolution, the repression by transcription factors may have been acquired in anterior Hox genes of short germ insects, while PcG silencing was maintained in posterior Hox genes.
Variation in Dube3a expression affects neurotransmission at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction
Authors: Valdez Colleen , Scroggs Reese , Chassen Rachel , Reiter Lawrence T.
Published: May 2015

Changes in UBE3A expression levels in neurons can cause neurogenetic disorders ranging from Angelman syndrome (AS) (decreased levels) to autism (increased levels). Here we investigated the effects on neuronal function of varying UBE3A levels using the Drosophila neuromuscular junction as a model for both of these neurogenetic disorders. Stimulations that evoked excitatory junction potentials (EJPs) at 1 Hz intermittently failed to evoke EJPs at 15 Hz in a significantly higher proportion of Dube3a over-expressors using the pan neuronal GAL4 driver C155-GAL4 (C155-GAL4>UAS-Dube3a) relative to controls (C155>+ alone). However, in the Dube3a over-expressing larval neurons with no failures, there was no difference in EJP amplitude at the beginning of the train, or the rate of decrease in EJP amplitude over the course of the train compared to controls. In the absence of tetrodotoxin (TTX), spontaneous EJPs were observed in significantly more C155-GAL4>UAS-Dube3a larva compared to controls. In the presence of TTX, spontaneous and evoked EJPs were completely blocked and mEJP amplitude and frequency did not differ among genotypes. These data suggest that over-expression of wild type Dube3a, but not a ubiquitination defective Dube3a-C/A protein, compromises the ability of motor neuron axons to support closely spaced trains of action potentials, while at the same time increasing excitability. EJPs evoked at 15 Hz in the absence of Dube3a (Dube3a15b homozygous mutant larvae) decayed more rapidly over the course of 30 stimulations compared to w1118 controls, and Dube3a15b larval muscles had significantly more negative resting membrane potentials (RMP). However, these results could not be recapitulated using RNAi knockdown of Dube3a in muscle or neurons alone, suggesting more global developmental defects contribute to this phenotype. These data suggest that reduced UBE3A expression levels may cause global changes that affect RMP and neurotransmitter release from motorneurons at the neuromuscular junction. Similar affects of under- and over-expression of UBE3A on membrane potential and synaptic transmission may underlie the synaptic plasticity defects observed in both AS and autism.
JNK2 controls fragmentation of the Golgi complex and the G2/M transition through phosphorylation of GRASP65
Authors: Cervigni Romina Ines , Bonavita Raffaella , Barretta Maria Luisa , Spano Daniela , Ayala Inmaculada , Nakamura Nobuhiro , Corda Daniela , Colanzi Antonino
Published: May 2015

In mammalian cells, the Golgi complex is composed of stacks that are connected by membranous tubules. During G2, the Golgi complex is disassembled into isolated stacks. This process is required for entry into mitosis, indicating that the correct inheritance of the organelle is monitored by a ‘Golgi mitotic checkpoint’. However, the regulation and the molecular mechanisms underlying this Golgi disassembly are still poorly understood. Here, we show that JNK2 has a crucial role in the G2-specific separation of the Golgi stacks through phosphorylation of Ser277 of the Golgi-stacking protein GRASP65 (also known as GORASP1). Inhibition of JNK2 by RNA interference or by treatment with three unrelated JNK inhibitors causes a potent and persistent cell cycle block in G2. JNK activity becomes dispensable for mitotic entry if the Golgi complex is disassembled by brefeldin A treatment or by GRASP65 depletion. Finally, measurement of the Golgi fluorescence recovery after photobleaching demonstrates that JNK is required for the cleavage of the tubules connecting Golgi stacks. Our findings reveal that a JNK2–GRASP65 signalling axis has a crucial role in coupling Golgi inheritance and G2/M transition.
Mecp2 regulates neural cell differentiation by suppressing the Id1 to Her2 axis in zebrafish
Authors: Gao Hai , Bu Ye , Wu Qing , Wang Xu , Chang Nannan , Lei Lei , Chen Shilin , Liu Dong , Zhu Xiaojun , Hu Keping , Xiong Jing-Wei
Published: May 2015

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a progressive neurological disorder caused by mutations in the X-linked protein methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2). The endogenous function of MeCP2 during neural differentiation is still unclear. Here, we report that mecp2 is required for brain development in zebrafish. Mecp2 was broadly expressed initially in embryos and enriched later in the brain. Either morpholino knockdown or genetic depletion of mecp2 inhibited neuronal differentiation, whereas its overexpression promoted neuronal differentiation, suggesting an essential role of mecp2 in directing neural precursors into differentiated neurons. Mechanistically, her2 (the zebrafish ortholog of mammalian Hes5) was upregulated in mecp2 morphants in an Id1-dependent manner. Moreover, knockdown of either her2 or id1 fully rescued neuronal differentiation in mecp2 morphants. These results suggest that Mecp2 plays an important role in neural cell development by suppressing the Id1–Her2 axis, and provide new evidence that embryonic neural defects contribute to the later motor and cognitive dysfunctions in RTT.
Proteomic analysis of cardiac response to thermal acclimation in the eurythermal goby fishGillichthys mirabilis
Authors: Jayasundara Nishad , Tomanek Lars , Dowd W. Wesley , Somero George N.
Published: May 2015

Cardiac function is thought to play a central role in determining thermal optima and tolerance limits in teleost fishes. Investigating proteomic responses to temperature in cardiac tissues may provide insights into mechanisms supporting the thermal plasticity of cardiac function. Here, we utilized a global proteomic analysis to investigate changes in cardiac protein abundance in response to temperature acclimation (transfer from 13°C to 9, 19 and 26°C) in a eurythermal goby, Gillichthys mirabilis. Proteomic data revealed 122 differentially expressed proteins across acclimation groups, 37 of which were identified using tandem mass-spectrometry. These 37 proteins are involved in energy metabolism, mitochondrial regulation, iron homeostasis, cytoprotection against hypoxia, and cytoskeletal organization. Compared with the 9 and 26°C groups, proteins involved in energy metabolism increased in 19°C-acclimated fish, indicating an overall increase in the capacity for ATP production. Creatine kinase abundance increased in 9°C-acclimated fish, suggesting an important role for the phosphocreatine energy shuttle in cold-acclimated hearts. Both 9 and 26°C fish also increased abundance of hexosaminidase, a protein directly involved in post-hypoxia stress cytoprotection of cardiac tissues. Cytoskeletal restructuring appears to occur in all acclimation groups; however, the most prominent effect was detected in 26°C-acclimated fish, which exhibited significantly increased actin levels. Overall, proteomic analysis of cardiac tissue suggests that the capacity to adjust ATP-generating processes is crucial to the thermal plasticity of cardiac function. Furthermore, G. mirabilis may optimize cellular functions at temperatures near 19°C, which lies within the species' preferred temperature range.
Size dependence in non-sperm ejaculate production is reflected in daily energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate
Authors: Friesen Christopher R. , Powers Donald R. , Copenhaver Paige E. , Mason Robert T.
Published: May 2015

The non-sperm components of an ejaculate, such as copulatory plugs, can be essential to male reproductive success. But the costs of these ejaculate components are often considered trivial. In polyandrous species, males are predicted to increase energy allocation to the production of non-sperm components, but this allocation is often condition dependent and the energetic costs of their production have never been quantified. Red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) are an excellent model with which to quantify the energetic costs of non-sperm components of the ejaculate as they exhibit a dissociated reproductive pattern in which sperm production is temporally disjunct from copulatory plug production, mating and plug deposition. We estimated the daily energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate of males after courtship and mating, and used bomb calorimetry to estimate the energy content of copulatory plugs. We found that both daily energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate were significantly higher in small mating males than in courting males, and a single copulatory plug without sperm constitutes 5–18% of daily energy expenditure. To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify the energetic expense of size-dependent ejaculate strategies in any species.
Coherence of Russian Economic System: Econometric Assessments
Authors: Басовская  , Basovskaya Elena
Published: May 2015

The paper examines the degree of coherence of the country’s economic system through assessment of correlation between economic growth rates of regions. The author highlights the high changeability of Russia’s economic system, considered as the total sum of elements, constituted by economic systems of federal districts and economic systems of regions. Correlative relationship between economic growth rates of this system’s elements can vary in the range from positive to negative. During the periods of sustainable economic growth the degree of this system’s coherence tends to reduce sharply. High levels of coherence are typical only for crisis periods in economic development.
Issues of Local Budgeting in Uzbekistan
Authors: Киясов  , Kiyasov Sh.
Published: May 2015

The paper considers the sources, from which local budgets revenues are

derived, and main items of local budgets expenditure are identified. The special

features of local budgeting process are examined against the context of

globalizing economy. Also provided are practical recommendations on how to

strengthen the revenue basis of local budgets.
How to Apply Lean Production Concepts in the Synergistic Effects Management System at a High-Tech-Oriented Enterprise
Authors: Флек  , Flek Mikhail , Угнич  , Ugnich Ekaterina
Published: May 2015

Ways to improve the efficiency of an enterprise management system are considered. Addressing this problem through the synergetic approach viewpoint would help to use potential of high-tech-oriented enterprises more efficiently, to accelerate economic development of such enterprises and also to improve their products’ competitiveness. Key lean production concepts implementation at an enterprise in terms of synergetic management concept are discussed. Advantages of the lean production system and the compelling necessity to introduce such a system at the enterprises of Russia are outlined. The obstacles to implementing the lean production system at enterprises are reviewed and ways to overcome these obstacles are provided.
Oracle-Based Robust Optimization via Online Learning
Authors: Ben-Tal Aharon , Hazan Elad , Koren Tomer , Mannor Shie
Published: May 2015

Robust optimization is a common optimization framework under uncertainty when problem parameters are unknown, but it is known that they belong to some given uncertainty set. In the robust optimization framework, a min-max problem is solved wherein a solution is evaluated according to its performance on the worst possible realization of the parameters. In many cases, a straightforward solution to a robust optimization problem of a certain type requires solving an optimization problem of a more complicated type, which might be NP-hard in some cases. For example, solving a robust conic quadratic program, such as those arising in a robust support vector machine (SVM) with an ellipsoidal uncertainty set, leads in general to a semidefinite program. In this paper, we develop a method for approximately solving a robust optimization problem using tools from online convex optimization, where at every stage a standard (nonrobust) optimization program is solved. Our algorithms find an approximate robust solution using a number of calls to an oracle that solves the original (nonrobust) problem that is inversely proportional to the square of the target accuracy.
A glossary of terms to assist the recognition and diagnosis of skin conditions associated with lower-limb chronic oedema
Authors: Elwell Rebecca , Craven Nicholas
Published: May 2015

There are a number of recognised skin conditions associated with chronic oedema, but the lack of agreed definitions and terminology often leads to poor recognition and a delay in treatment. Many patients are given a diagnostic ‘label’ (e.g. varicose eczema) that often turns out to be incorrect, leading to an interruption in the patient pathway. Every skin condition can be described in a variety of ways and each professional group adheres to certain phrases and words that, within each discipline, are recognised, but when making onward referral or working between professions, it helps to have clear and concise definitions. This article aims is to standardise the terminology used to describe skin conditions of the lower limbs among health professionals, removing some of the discrepancy, and to develop a glossary to aid recognition, definition and hence diagnosis to ensure prompt and appropriate management is implemented.
What constitutes good trial evidence?
Authors: Lavender Tina , Richens Yana
Published: May 2015

In this paper the authors will discuss the randomised controlled trial, in the context of evidence-based practice. This paper aims to provide clinical midwives with some insight into what makes a good trial paper, highlighting the main areas where there are often misunderstandings of the appropriateness of trial methodology within individual studies. Being able to determine what constitutes good trial evidence is important in determining which evidence should be applied to practice.
Antenatal support for people with learning disabilities
Authors: Harrison Ruth , Willis Susan
Published: May 2015

Following the introduction of learning disability nurses in acute and primary care in 2009, several health areas were taken into consideration as a priority for change. Maternity services were considered in order to bring this area into line with the other parts of the UK. This article will examine the provision of services for people with learning disabilities, and identify areas for improvement including educational needs for midwives. Outcomes of an audit and evaluations of local services against national policy and provision will be highlighted, barriers faced by both prospective parents with a learning disability and by professionals will be discussed and recommendations for future practice will be presented. Misleading diagnosis, discrepancies in numbers and training developments will also be addressed.

Despite Government policy identifying that ‘reasonable adjustment’ must be made when supporting parents with a learning disability, 23 midwives, team managers and health care assistants in midwifery services in Nottinghamshire have highlighted that there is little awareness in the field locally.
The Norwegian version of the Scale To Assess the therapeutic Relationship (N-STAR) in community mental health care: Development and pilot study
Authors: Geirdal Amy Østertun , Nerdrum Per , Aasgaard Trygve , Misund Aud , Bonsaksen Tore
Published: May 2015

Background/Aims:

Psychotherapy research has continually placed emphasis on the role of the therapeutic relationship. The current provision of mental health care, however, is often carried out in a variety of contexts and involves a range of health professionals. Measures for assessing the therapeutic relationship provided in community settings by multidisciplinary mental health teams is therefore required. The aim of this study was to describe the development of the Norwegian version of the Scale To Assess the therapeutic Relationship (N-STAR) and to examine its reliability.

Methods:

A pilot study was conducted with clients with mental health issues (n=29) and mental health practitioners (n=29). Participants were recruited from a Norwegian community mental health setting and asked to complete the N-STAR. Data were analysed using T-tests, Cronbach's alpha, the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Results:

The internal consistency of the N-STAR total scale was good, whereas the subscales showed acceptable to questionable internal consistencies. There was a significant association between the total scores of clients and therapists (r = 0.42, p = 0.02), and the consistency in agreement between the clients' and the therapists' scores was good (ICC= 0.57, p = 0.02).

Conclusion:

The N-STAR total scale showed promising results in terms of its internal consistency and level of client-therapist agreement. Further research is needed to evaluate N-STAR measurement properties in larger samples in order to establish this method as a way of assessing and monitoring the therapeutic relationship in community mental health settings in Norway.
What do patients wear on their feet? A service evaluation of footwear in elderly patients
Authors: Vass Catherine , Edwards Claire , Smith Alexandra , Sahota Opinder , Drummond Avril
Published: May 2015

Background/Aims:

Appropriate footwear is regarded as an important component of falls prevention in older people. Scant data exists regarding the types of footwear older patients wear in hospital, which may hinder the development of future interventions in this high-risk fall group. To address this, we conducted a service evaluation to examine and describe the style and quality of footwear worn by older patients in hospital.

Methods:

The footwear of older patients admitted to an acute NHS trust in England was assessed using the Footwear Assessment Tool. Patients were interviewed about their footwear choices.

Results:

A total of 730 pairs of footwear from 675 patients were assessed. The most common types of footwear worn were slippers (46%) and gripper socks (37%). Much of the footwear had a good fit, but over 50% lacked adequate structure, stability and support, more than 60% had no cushioning and 60% had no fixation. Approximately 60% of footwear was more than 12 months old, with signs of moderate to excess wear. Patients valued comfort and the familiarity of their own footwear.

Conclusions:

This service evaluation provides new information on footwear worn by older inpatients in hospital. Many patients are wearing footwear with insufficient structure to promote optimal stability or gait. Providing safe footwear that is suitable for use in hospital is potentially a low-technology and resource-efficient way to promote safety in older patients.
Implementing an e-portfolio for non-medical prescribing modules
Authors: Ely Val , Kaye Vicky , Osborne Antony
Published: May 2015

This article discusses the implementation of a web-based e-portfolio into non-medical prescribing (NMP) modules at the University of Huddersfield. The e-portfolio adopted has all the elements of the former paper-based document. A key advantage of implementing an e-portfolio is the contribution it makes to the National Information Board's (2015) digital priorities for health and social care. The e-portfolio can equip NMP students, as part of the wider health-care workforce, with digital skills and knowledge that are appropriate to their role and also their impending prescribing role. Adopting an e-portfolio within the NMP modules has brought many benefits, including strengthened assessment methods in terms of authenticity, reliability and mentor preparation. The main challenges experienced were related to the IT literacy and skills of participants, as well as computer or internet access issues in the workplace; these challenges were similar to those faced by Moule et al (2011) . The module team overcame these issues through continual review of the assessment strategies being deployed and the functionality of the e-portfolio.
An Integrated Methodological Approach for Source-Clay Determination of Ancient Ceramics: The Case of Aegina Island, Greece
Authors: Christidis George E. , Shriner Christine M. , Murray Haydn H.
Published: May 2015

A new model is proposed for analysis of the source clays used to create ceramics, based on geographic, petrographic, mineralogical, mineral-chemistry, and geochemical criteria. The development of this model became feasible after the discovery of a Pliocene volcanic clay horizon on NWAegina Island, Greece. The volcanic clay contains smectite, mixed-layer chlorite-smectite, biotite, and palygorskite and has greater feldspar content than the underlying Pliocene marls, which contain R0 mixed-layer illitesmectite, mica, dolomite, serpentine, talc and gypsum, and, in some places, palygorskite. The two units have distinct geochemical characteristics. In general the Pliocene volcanic clay is richer in SiO2, Al3O3, and Fe2O3 and poorer in Na2O, MgO, and P2O2 than the Pliocene marls. The Nb, Zr, Hf, Th, and rare earth element (REE) contents are also significantly greater in the Pliocene volcanic clay and comparable to those of the dacitic rocks of the island, reflecting the volcanic origin of the clay.

The proposed model was used to identify the source-clay materials that were used for the production of ceramics on the island of Aegina (Aeginetan Ware). All five criteria should be considered in any provenance study. The use of individual criteria on their own can lead to ambiguous conclusions. In the present study the geochemical criterion was particularly helpful. It provided robust evidence for the nature of the source clay. The Pliocene volcanic clay horizon and the underlying Pliocene marls are the candidate raw materials for Aeginetan Ware. Although the Pliocene marls have been invoked as raw materials for Greek Bronze Age (~3000–1100 BC) Aeginetan ceramics and are used as raw materials by modern Aeginetan ceramists, the geochemical characteristics of a large set of Bronze Age Greek Aeginetan sherds with fine and coarse fabrics coincide with those of the Pliocene volcanic clay. This comparative and cumulative evidence suggests that the Pliocene volcanic clay was the main source clay for ancient Aeginetan ceramics, regardless of the fabric (coarse or fine) and that admixture of different sources might not be necessary for fine-grained ceramics.
Synthesis and Characterization of Zeolite NaY Using Kaolin With Different Synthesis Methods
Authors: Tavasoli Maryam , Kazemian Hossein , Sadjadi Sodeh , Tamizifar Morteza
Published: May 2015

The benefits of using kaolin as a source of aluminosilicate in zeolite synthesis to obtain lowercost catalysts, adsorbents, or ion exchangers are widely known. Previous attempts to produce zeolite from natural Iranian kaolin resulted in the formation of zeolites A, X, and HS. Zeolite Y plays an important role in the petrochemical industry due to its application in the area of fluidized catalytic cracking; ~40% of gasoline production is obtained using this process.

In the present study, different methods were used to prepare pure zeolite NaY from the Iranian kaolin available. The effects of different parameters such as aging time, crystallization time, kaolin calcination and crystallization temperature, and starting-material composition were investigated in order to obtain improved properties and maximize phase purity. In all cases, the crystal structure and microstructure were studied using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Among different synthesis approaches, the ‘guide-agent method’ resulted in the formation of zeolite NaY. The synthesis was generally sensitive to changes in kaolin calcination temperature and in hydrothermal synthesis parameters. The optimum parameters to prepare pure zeolite NaY were: kaolin calcination temperature = 680°C, aging time of guide agent = 48 h without an overall gel aging step, and crystallization at 90°C for 36 h.
Marx zufolge
Authors: Lenger (verst.) Hans-Joachim
Published: May 2015

Zentral ist den Marx'schen Texten die Nähe von Trauma und Ökonomie; darin besteht ihre unerhörte Modernität. Zwar spricht auch Marx die Sprache der Metaphysik. Aber durch sie hindurch kündigt sich bei ihm eine Erfahrung an, die die ökonomische Ordnung als differentielles Gefüge von Texten entzifferbar macht. Es verlangt nach Begriffen, die ebenso »semiotisch« wie »grammatologisch« sind und nicht zuletzt mit einer »marxistischen Metaphysik« brechen. Heute treffen diese Begriffe auf das Diktat einer »globalisierten« Ökonomie, den Verfall des Politischen, auf Diskurse des Krieges, der Medien und der Psyche und nicht zuletzt auf die Bürokratien der Systemtheorie. Entscheidend sind jedoch nicht solche regionalen Verfassungen von Wissen, Technik und Macht. Entscheidend ist, wie sie hervorgebracht werden und welche »Arbeit der Differenz« sie praktisch dekonstruieren kann. Hier allerdings begegnen sich Marx, Heidegger und Derrida. Deren Rendezvous macht eine erneute Lektüre der Marx'schen Texte nötig - »hier« und »jetzt«, unter dem Diktat einer »Globalisierung« und nach dem Sturz staatlicher Systeme, die sich auf Marx beriefen.
Betriebswirtschaft für das Kulturmanagement
Authors: Schneidewind Petra
Published: May 2015

Der Kultur und den Kulturbetrieben mangelt es nicht an kreativen Ideen und Potenzialen, es sind vielmehr die zu ihrer Umsetzung notwendigen knappen Ressourcen, die Kulturbetriebe in ihrer Existenz gefährden können. Kultur zu ermöglichen ist die zentrale Aufgabe von Kulturmanagern, sie kümmern sich um die Bereitstellung und Sicherung der notwendigen Ressourcen unter Beachtung der vorhandenen Rahmenbedingungen. Dazu braucht der Kulturmanager eine interdisziplinäre Ausbildung, in der die betriebswirtschaftlichen Kompetenzen eine große Rolle spielen. Das Handbuch stellt sämtliche betriebswirtschaftlichen Funktionen und ihre Rolle im Kulturbetrieb vor, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf dem Rechnungswesen liegt. Kulturbetriebe sollten betriebswirtschaftliche Instrumentarien entsprechend dem modernen Verständnis von Betriebswirtschaftslehre als Servicefunktion verstehen und nutzen. Entscheidend ist, dass man durch den richtigen Einsatz und die optimale Vernetzung entscheidungsunterstützende Informationen gewinnt und damit zur Existenzsicherung und Zielerreichung beiträgt. Ein solches Verständnis wird im Handbuch zugeschnitten auf Kulturbetriebe dargestellt.
Digitale Medienkultur
Authors: Missomelius Petra
Published: May 2015

Was ist das ›Neue‹ der Medien? Zur Beantwortung dieser Frage beschränkt sich die Studie nicht auf technische Neuerungen, sondern fokussiert im Sinne McLuhans die theoretische Perspektive auf diese Medien als eine Form kultureller Praxis. Die interaktiver gewordene Schnittstelle zwischen Mensch und Technik wird dabei ebenso analysiert wie die Besonderheiten der digitalen Erzähltechnik. Das Buch erforscht das Wechselspiel von Kontinuität und Bruch einer sich noch im Fluss befindlichen Medienentwicklung und ergänzt und erweitert damit den Forschungsstand zu aktuellen Transformationen der digitalen Medien.
Individualisierung
Authors: Kron Thomas , Horácek Martin
Published: May 2015

Der Begriff der Individualisierung stellt seit den Anfängen der Soziologie bis zur ausgearbeiteten Individualisierungsthese einen wichtigen Teil der Gesellschaftstheorie dar. Insbesondere in den BA- und MA-Modulen zur Theorie und zur Geschichte der Soziologie, aber auch zur Sozialstrukturanalyse gehört der Begriff der Individualisierung daher zum festen Bestand des Curriculums. Diese Einführung gibt einen systematischen Überblick über die zentralen Facetten des Begriffs und die wichtigsten klassischen Theorien über Individualisierung. Schließlich skizziert sie die Aktualität des Individualisierungsgedankens angesichts des rapiden kulturellen und sozialstrukturellen Wandels in der Gesellschaft der Gegenwart.
Monster
Authors: Meteling Arno
Published: May 2015

Der Horrorfilm zeigt menschliche Körper und technische Medien als Orte des Schreckens und der Faszination. Er spiegelt damit nicht nur seine eigene Medialität, sondern verweist auf seine Wurzeln in der Gothic Novel, der Romantik, der Psychoanalyse und der Medientheorie. Die Studie zeichnet Geschichte und Vorgeschichte des modernen Horrorfilms nach: vom Splatter- und Zombiefilm über das Werk David Cronenbergs und die Slasher- und Serienkillerfilme bis zum aktuellen Mystery- und Gespensterfilm. Das »Monster« dient dabei als theoretische Leitfigur.
Die Organisation des Washington Consensus
Authors: Kellermann Christian
Published: May 2015

Die Rolle des Internationalen Währungsfonds (IWF) in der internationalen Finanzarchitektur ist seit seiner Gründung umstritten. Im Zuge der asiatischen Wirtschafts- und Finanzkrise in der zweiten Hälfte der 1990er Jahre erreichte die Auseinandersetzung eine neue Dimension. Globale Proteststürme und Kritik von Seiten prominenter Experten haben die Legitimität des IWF empfindlich gestört - seine Politik sei krisenverschärfend und einseitig auf Interessen großer Gläubiger ausgerichtet. Mit dem IWF rückte auch der Washington Consensus als neoliberale EntwicklungsÝ programmatik verstärkt ins Sichtfeld der Kritiker. Die in Folge unternommenen Versuche, den Aufgabenbereich des IWF zu reformulieren, blieben jedoch relativ erfolglos. Diesen Reformdiskurs analysiert der Autor aus einer machttheoretischen Perspektive und durchleuchtet dabei die Organisation des Washington Consensus.
Die Mkandawires auf Livingstonia
Authors: Glagow Manfred
Published: May 2015

Afrika ist weiterhin der unverstandene Kontinent. Die Nachrichten von dort verdichten sich zu einem widersprüchlichen Patchwork der Extreme, die nur selten einen wirklichkeitsgetreuen Blick hinter die Oberfläche zulassen. Deshalb wird hier in einer längeren historischen Perspektive die Geschichte einer Familie erzählt, die, in die malawische Geschichte der letzten 120 Jahre gestellt, konfrontiert wird mit der christlichen Mission, dem britischen Kolonialismus und der - auf die Unabhängigkeit des Landes folgenden - Diktatur. Jeder der Protagonisten ist in seiner Art Betroffener und Beteiligter an den Zeitenläufen und verdeutlicht damit ein Stück malawischer Geschichte.
Genetisierung der Zeugung
Authors: Bock von Wülfingen Bettina
Published: May 2015

Dieser Band fokussiert die Zukunft der Gen- und Reproduktionstechnologien, wie sie sich in befürwortenden biowissenschaftlichen Diskursen findet. Es wird gezeigt, wie an der Jahrtausendwende Gentechnologie und Befruchtungsverfahren diskursiv miteinander verbunden und Gesetze in Frage gestellt werden. Aufgezeigt werden fundamentale Veränderungen in der Begründung reproduktiver Gentechnologie als Standard-Fortpflanzungsmöglichkeit und emanzipatives Instrument. Diese Verschiebungen reichen von der Fürsprache für gleichgeschlechtliche Zeugung bis zu einem genetischen Gesundheitsbegriff. Das Verständnis dieser Verschiebungen ist unerlässlich für Wissenschaft, Medien und vorausschauende Politik.
Die Ordnung des Fortschritts
Authors: Weiler (verst.) Bernd
Published: May 2015

Bernd Weiler bietet überraschende Einsichten, was hinter der Formel von der Fortschrittsgläubigkeit als der geistigen Signatur des 19. Jahrhunderts liegt: In einer spannenden wissenschaftsgeschichtlichen und wissenssoziologischen Rekonstruktion wird die fortschrittseuphorische »Gründerzeit« der modernen Anthropologie ab 1850 quellenreich nachgezeichnet und analysiert, wie die nordamerikanische Kulturanthropologie und die Wiener Schule der Ethnologie am Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts fortschrittskritisch mit der Vorstellung von der »Kulturarmut der Wilden« brechen und ein neues Kapitel der Wissenschaftsgeschichte aufschlagen. Bernd Weilers Untersuchung ist eine Pflichtlektüre für alle, die die Entwicklung der Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften verstehen wollen.
Die Musealisierung der Migration
Authors: Baur Joachim
Published: May 2015

Die Musealisierung der Migration hat Konjunktur. Mit kritischem Blick untersucht dieses Buch nun erstmals Formen und Funktionen der verstärkten Repräsentation von Migration in Museen und Ausstellungen. Wie wird die multikulturelle Gesellschaft inszeniert? Welche Interessen und Konflikte treten dabei zutage? Was lässt sich aus Projekten in Übersee für Deutschland und Europa lernen? Mit der Diskussion solcher Fragen leistet die Studie, die sich gleichermaßen an Kulturwissenschaftler, Kulturpolitiker und Museumsmacher wendet, einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Debatte um Geschichtspolitik und Erinnerung in der Einwanderungsgesellschaft.
Politiken der Normalisierung
Authors: Bösl Elsbeth
Published: May 2015

Die von der Zeitgeschichte bislang kaum beachtete Analysekategorie »Behinderung« erschließt einen neuen Blick auf komplexe, gesellschaftliche und kulturelle Zusammenhänge in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Unter der Leitfrage, wie sich die Kategorie »Behinderung« in wissenschaftlichen und politischen Diskursen konstituiert, untersucht Elsbeth Bösl die bundesdeutsche Behindertenpolitik. Die historische Analyse zeigt, dass diese Politik bis Mitte der 1970er Jahre primär auf die funktionale Normalisierung von Menschen mit Behinderungen sowie die Herstellung von Erwerbsfähigkeit und Produktivität gerichtet war.
Die Romantik der Rationalität
Authors: Etzemüller Thomas
Published: May 2015

Die »ambivalente Moderne« hat Spuren hinterlassen - auch in Schweden. Social Engineering schien eine Möglichkeit, die negativen Folgen der Moderne aufzufangen, indem die sozialen Beziehungen neu gestaltet werden sollten. Zwei der weltweit bekanntesten Sozialingenieure waren Alva und Gunnar Myrdal. In Schweden, den USA und Asien versuchten sie zwischen 1930 und 1980 eine gerechte Gesellschaftsordnung zu entwerfen, die jedoch das Paradebeispiel einer »Normalisierungsgesellschaft« darstellt. Ein Blick auf ihre aufregend-konfliktreiche Ehe zeigt, dass sich Machtbeziehungen präziser analysieren lassen, wenn sie in den Alltagspraktiken der Experten verortet werden.
Neo-Essentialismus in der Gender-Debatte
Authors: Schütze Barbara
Published: May 2015

Der Gender-Begriff hat in der Pädagogik Karriere gemacht - und gleichzeitig dazu beigetragen, an der Normalität der Zweigeschlechtlichkeit festzuhalten. Auch hier sind also Geschlechtergrenzgänger_innen normalisierenden Maßnahmen unterworfen worden, die Gewissheit über das eindeutige Geschlecht fordern. Dieser Band reflektiert den Zusammenhang von Natur und Kultur anhand des pädagogischen und medizinischen Diskurses zu Transsexualismus und rekonstruiert die Verstrickung der Pädagogik im heteronormativen Denken. Eine bildungstheoretische Kritik am Umgang mit Geschlechtsidentität.
Die Hegemonie symbolischer Gesundheit
Authors: Brunnett Regina
Published: May 2015

Die gegenwärtige »Kultur der Gesundheit« rekurriert weniger auf das Medizinsystem, sondern zielt auf Eigenverantwortung ab. Wie hängt dies mit gesellschaftlichem Wandel zusammen? In dieser Studie werden die westliche Gesundheitskultur und ihre aktuellen Diskurse im Feld von Arbeit untersucht. Im Fokus steht dabei der Strukturwandel vom Fordismus zum Postfordismus. Das Buch zeigt die Konturen symbolischer Gesundheit, in der sich ökonomische Produktivität und optimale Selbstmodellierung zum »Kapital Gesundheit« verschränken. Parallel dazu wird das analytische Instrumentarium einer hegemonietheoretischen Diskursanalyse entwickelt und in der Analyse politischer Reden von Ursula Engelen-Kefer, Wolfgang Clement und Rezzo Schlauch erprobt.