bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Developing Moral Sensitivity Through Protest Scenarios in International NGDOs’ Communication
Authors: Pinazo Calatayud Daniel , Nos Aldas Eloisa
Published: June 2013

This article studies advertising campaigns of Nongovernmental Development Organizations (NGDOs) by applying the innovative concepts of protest communication scenarios and moral sensitivity. Its main purpose is to advance current understanding on how two conceptually different communication scenarios—donor and protest—impact the social engagement of the public. The interdisciplinary methodology combines a discursive and psychological perspective with an empirical survey study designed with the support of cultural discourse analysis. The findings demonstrate that using communication models based on the need for collective help for poverty in terms of an unjust situation—what we call a protest communication model—increases moral sensitivity and, therefore, social action. These results are of interest for planning and assessing the organizational communication of NGDOs designed from their educational and social action liabilities. This research shows that utilizing these criteria increases the efficacy of their communication in awareness raising and social engagement without being detrimental to funding amounts.
The Formation of Physician Impressions in Online Communities
Authors: D’Angelo Jonathan , Van Der Heide Brandon
Published: June 2013

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) research has long been interested in how interpersonal impressions form online. This research argues that, given the advance of technology and the diversity in online communities, researchers must now consider the context in which social information appears in order to more fully understand the effects of social information on impression formation. This research explored three different paths through which the relationship between the context of a website and the social information presented impacts credibility impressions: the negativity effect, the positivity effect, and the nonnormativity effect. An original 2 (valence of photograph: casual vs. professional) × 2 (normative context: WebMD vs. Facebook) experiment examining the impact of moving identical cues across contexts found normative expectations impact impression formation. Strongest support was found for a nonnormativity effect: cues that defied normative expectations were more influential whether they were positive or negative.
The Spatial Distribution of Human Capital
Authors: Karahasan B. Can , López-Bazo Enrique
Published: June 2013

This article checks for the robustness of the estimate of the impact of market access (MA) on the regional variability of human capital, derived from the New Economic Geography literature. The hypothesis is that the estimate of the coefficient of the measure of MA is actually capturing the effect of regional differences in the industrial mix and the spatial dependence in the distribution of human capital. Results for the Spanish provinces indicate that the estimated impact of MA vanishes and becomes nonsignificant once these two elements are included in the empirical analysis.
Health Effects of Digital Textbooks on School-Age Children
Authors: Seomun GyeongAe , Lee Jung-Ah , Kim Eun-Young , Im MeeYoung , Kim Miran , Park Sun-A , Lee Youngjin
Published: June 2013

This qualitative study used the grounded theory approach to analyze digital textbook-related health experiences of school-age children. In-depth interviews were held with 40 elementary school students who had used digital textbooks for at least a year. Data analysis revealed a total of 56 concepts, 20 subcategories, and 11 categories related to digital textbook health issues, the central phenomena being “health-related experiences.” Students’ health-related experiences were classified into “physical” and “psychological” symptoms. Adverse health effects related to digital textbook usage were addressed via both “student-led” and “instructor-led” coping strategies. Students’ coping strategies were often inefficient, but instructor-led strategies seemed to prevent health problems. When health issues were well managed, students tended to accept digital textbooks as educational tools. Our findings suggest that students can form healthy computer habits if digital textbook usage is directed in a positive manner.
Instrumentalizing Voice
Authors: Myles John F.
Published: June 2013

This article applies Bakhtin’s ideas of “dialogics” and “speech genres” and Bourdieu’s approach to the “linguistic field” in a study of the “instrumentalization” of voice in interactive voice response (IVR) telephony. The article examines two dimensions of voice as it appears in IVR services: technician-led installations and voice branding “on-hold messaging.” It is argued that technician-led installations of IVR are essentially monologic in character. In contrast, voice branding agencies’ IVR reveals a more dialogic form of voice. The article is based on data collected from telephone and face-to-face interviews with staff in both sides of IVR and from an examination of six IVR services of major UK companies. The article assesses the social indexing of recorded voice in IVR by drawing out how particular “speech genre” functions of IVR prompts coincide with accent, gender, and age.
Praxial music education: A critical analysis of critical commentaries
Authors: Silverman Marissa , Davis Susan A. , Elliott David J.
Published: June 2013

Since its publication in 1995, a significant literature has developed around David J. Elliott’s praxial philosophy of music education, as explained in Music Matters: A New Philosophy of Music Education. This literature includes a range of commentaries in journals, books, edited books, and dissertations. Although Elliott has replied to some positive and negative commentaries since 1995, he has not addressed several adverse discussions by leading music education philosophers. Accordingly, we posit that there is an important gap in music education’s philosophical discourse that may cause some music education students and researchers to accept or reject important criticisms of Elliott’s praxialism without sufficient information or reflection.

In this article we analyze several critiques of Elliott’s praxialism. Our discussion divides into three sections related to major topics presented in the praxial philosophy particularly and music education generally: music making, music listening and musical works, and musical values. Each section presents (a) critics’ evaluations of Elliott’s position on a given topic, and (b) Elliott’s stated position on that topic, as explained in Music Matters. Where pertinent, we consult the views of other scholars on specific topics. We end each section with brief reflections on critics’ claims, reserving our final evaluations for the concluding section.
Planning for the community? The early experiences of the implementation of Edinburgh City Council’s Community Plan
Authors: McWilliams Chris
Published: June 2013

Labour governments from 1997 to 2010 sought to promote joined-up thinking with the goal of ultimately improving governance and service delivery. It is within this context that this article analyses the emergence of New Labour’s Community Planning agenda in Scotland during the period 2003–2004. More specifically it focuses upon the early stages of the implementation of Edinburgh City Council’s Community Plan. An examination of the policy background to Community Planning is undertaken, presenting the key impacts of Labour’s modernisation agenda on local governance and democracy. Through the analysis of the implementation of Edinburgh City Council’s Community Plan, this article considers the extent to which the Community Planning agenda practically impacted upon public participation. It concludes by arguing that the South Edinburgh pilot demonstrated that some services can be delivered more efficiently and effectively, specifically those which are more responsive to local residents’ views and needs. This research argues that the implementation of Edinburgh’s Community Plan generated a new dynamism in local politics if only for a short period of time, most notably in local community willingness to engage with key issues which affected them. This approach resulted in tangible improvements within the public realm. There were also opportunities to use community plans to reinvigorate and restructure local governance in new and more democratically accountable ways. The case study also indicated some of the tensions and opportunities contained within the Labour Government’s modernisation agenda.
Are family physician visits and continuity of care associated with acute care use at end-of-life? A population-based cohort study of homecare cancer patients
Authors: Almaawiy Ummukulthum , Pond Gregory R , Sussman Jonathan , Brazil Kevin , Seow Hsien
Published: June 2013

Background:

Previous end-of-life cancer research has shown an association between increased family physician continuity of care and reduced use of acute care services; however, it did not focus on a homecare population or control for homecare nursing.

Aim:

Among end-of-life homecare cancer patients, to investigate the association of family physician continuity with location of death and hospital and emergency department visits in the last 2 weeks of life while controlling for nursing hours.

Design:

Retrospective population-based cohort study.

Setting/participants:

Cancer patients with ≥1 family physician visit in 2006 from Ontario, Canada. Family physician continuity of care was assessed using two measures: Modified Usual Provider of Care score and visits/week. Its association with location of death and hospital and emergency department visits in the last 2 weeks of life was examined using logistic regression.

Results:

Of 9467 patients identified, the Modified Usual Provider of Care score demonstrated a dose–response relationship with increasing continuity associated with decreased odds of hospital death and visiting the hospital and emergency department in the last 2 weeks of life. More family physician visits/week were associated with lower odds of an emergency department visit in the last 2 weeks of life and hospital death, except for patients with greater than 4 visits/week, where they had increased odds of hospitalizations and hospital deaths.

Conclusions:

These results demonstrate an association between increased family physician continuity of care and decreased odds of several acute care outcomes in late life, controlling for homecare nursing and other covariates.
Social Responsibility in Advertising
Authors: Kendrick Alice , Fullerton Jami A. , Kim Yeo Jung
Published: June 2013

Although advertising has played a key role in bringing corporate social responsibility (CSR) to the public agenda on behalf of agency clients, little effort has been made to define what social responsibility means in advertising. A national survey of 1,045 advertising and marketing communications students from 176 colleges and universities were asked to write their own definitions of CSR. The majority of student responses fell within Carroll’s CSR categories, with the heaviest emphasis on Ethical and Legal responsibilities, a lighter emphasis on Economic responsibility, and the lightest emphasis on discretionary responsibility. Students exhibited “message myopia” in that they largely focused their comments on the creation of advertisements and to the exclusion of environmentalism; client, vendor, and employee relations; diversity or community involvement. Implications for educators of advertising and marketing communications are discussed in terms of how their efforts could help shape the advertising business/society relationship of the future.
Vincristine-induced Neuropathy in Childhood ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) Survivors
Authors: Jain Puneet , Gulati Sheffali , Seth Rachna , Bakhshi Sameer , Toteja G. S. , Pandey R. M.
Published: June 2013

The prevalence and the burden of vincristine-induced neuropathy have been poorly documented in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors. This cross-sectional study was carried out at a tertiary care center in northern India from October 2011 to June 2012. Eighty consecutive acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors aged 5 to 18 years, within 3 years of completion of their chemotherapy, were enrolled. After clinical evaluation, detailed nerve conduction studies were performed and the reduced version of the Total Neuropathy Score was calculated. The mean age at the time of evaluation was 11.2 ± 3.2 years. 33.75% had neuropathy electrophysiologically. Symmetric motor axonal polyneuropathy was the most common pattern of involvement seen in 19 (23.8%) children. There was significant improvement with time, as revealed by lower prevalence of neuropathy with increasing interval following vincristine injection. 33.75% of the children had Reduced version of Total Neuropathy Score ≥ 1.
Genocidal Intent and Transitional Justice in Bosnia
Authors: Kent Gregory
Published: June 2013

Convictions for genocide in relation to the war in Bosnia (1992–1995) provide the strongest sense of justice-having-been-done to victims and their families. But at the ICTY, the reputation of which has been marred by a series of controversies, the few perpetrators found guilty of genocide were involved in the Srebrenica massacres of July 1995. Other courts have convicted individuals from a range of different locations (and periods) in the war, giving arguably a more complete sense of justice to victims, and a more accurate contribution to the historical record. It is widely perceived that the Genocide Convention has been narrowly interpreted. As most genocides do not result in total destruction, what counts as “part” of a group, especially when combined with other acts, is a key issue explored here. Two cases (outside Srebrenica) in which genocide indictees were not held responsible for genocide are examined, with the Jelisic case, involving a foot-soldier of genocide, the main focus for critical analysis. Reflection on the implications for Bosnian society are given in conclusion.
Private Suffering, Public Benefit
Authors: Kochanowicz Jacek
Published: June 2013

This article analyzes the pro-market rhetoric of the early phase of the post-communist transformation in Poland. It looks at one case of such rhetoric, that of the Warsaw daily Gazeta Wyborcza, a leading Polish paper medium. Gazeta was an unequivocal supporter of the market transition and perhaps the country’s most important pro-market opinion-forming platform. In order to convince its readership, it argued, in a vein similar to that of the early nineteenth-century classical economists, that this was the only way to achieve an efficient economy but that, in the short run, social costs and suffering were unavoidable. In its rhetoric, it stressed logic and rationality as characteristics of the reform projects, while often using irony in reporting differing views. Critical voices it treated as either naïve or representing the vested interests of those opposing the reforms. The Gazeta editors and authors were in favor of rapid reforms, afraid that pain and suffering would mobilize resistance. They believed that the sooner the economic rebuilding process succeeded, the greater support there would be for the reforms. The danger they were most afraid of was right-wing, nationalist populism. Ironically, the type of policies they advocated, while economically successful, actually contributed to marginalization and social exclusion. Thus, as an overview of East-Central Europe politics shows, in the longer term they led exactly to what Gazeta was most afraid of.
Race Differences in Age-Trends of Autonomic Nervous System Functioning
Authors: Fuller-Rowell Thomas E. , Williams David R. , Love Gayle D. , McKinley Paula S. , Sloan Richard P. , Ryff Carol D.
Published: June 2013

Objective: The objective of this study was to consider race differences in age-trends of autonomic nervous system functioning, using a national data set with a broad age range. Methods: Measures of baseline heart rate variability (HRV) and HRV reactivity were derived from electrocardiograph (ECG) recordings taken at rest and during cognitive stress tasks. Age-trends in HRV and HRV reactivity were compared among 204 African Americans and 833 Whites ages 34 to 83 years ( M = 53.7, SD = 11.4), before and after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES). Results: For HRV-reactivity, age-trends were steeper among African Americans and lower SES participants than Whites and higher SES participants. For baseline HRV, age-trends varied by SES but not race. Discussion: Results relating to HRV-reactivity (but not baseline HRV) were consistent with hypotheses suggesting that African Americans are exposed to higher levels of stress and experience accelerated declines in health across the life span. The relevance of the findings to research on social stress and health disparities is discussed.
The Impact of Capacity-Building Programs on Nonprofits
Authors: Minzner Amy , Klerman Jacob A. , Markovitz Carrie E. , Fink Barbara
Published: June 2013

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) play an important role in delivering social services to those in need. Capacity-building efforts for NPOs derive from funders’ desire to increase NPOs’ effectiveness and redress problems associated with limited administrative and organizational capacity. Through technical assistance, training, and grant funds, funders aim to enhance NPO functioning and ultimately improve client outcomes. Despite a general consensus about the importance of capacity building, little high-quality evidence exists on the impact of capacity-building investments. This article presents the findings from the first random assignment evaluation to be conducted in the field of nonprofit capacity building. The subject of the evaluation was one of country’s largest organizational capacity-building initiatives, the federal government’s Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) Demonstration Program. Findings from the evaluation provide clear evidence that capacity-building efforts increase capacity in each of five critical areas of capacity.
Lobbying for wealth redistribution by changing the social planner’s preferences
Authors: Zheng Mingli
Published: June 2013

Wealth redistribution in a society is related to the social planner’s beliefs about social justice. In this paper, the social planner’s preferences are described by a Choquet integral, which is a convex combination of a weighted utilitarian social welfare function and an egalitarian social welfare function. By spending resources on lobbying, interest groups can change the social planner’s preferences, by shifting the weights of the utilitarian part, or by shifting more or less weight to the egalitarian part. We use a model of a two-player lobbying game and obtain the conditions for a pure strategy Nash equilibrium of the game.
Changing trends in HIV diagnosis in an inner city London teaching hospital 2007–2011
Authors: Wilkin-Crowe H , Majewska W , Lau R , Webb H , Pakianathan M
Published: June 2013

Summary

In 2008, guidelines aimed at reducing undiagnosed HIV infection were published, recommending normalization of testing. Local initiatives were carried out in south-west London including an extensive primary care education programme. This study aimed to establish the impact of these initiatives on HIV diagnoses. Data on all new diagnoses referred to our centre were collected and analysed from patient records. A total of 394 patients were newly diagnosed with HIV from 2007 to 2011. Diagnosis in primary care and other non-sexual health (SH) settings increased by 184% during this period. There was an increase of 37% in the median CD4 count at diagnosis, taking the figure to 372 cells/mm3 in 2011. The proportion of patients presenting with a CD4 count of <200cells/mm3 decreased by 24%. The evidence suggests that these local initiatives were successful in increasing HIV diagnoses outside SH settings, particularly in very late presenters.
Use of expedited partner therapy among chlamydia cases diagnosed at an urban Indian health centre, Arizona
Authors: Taylor M M , Reilley B , Yellowman M , Anderson L , de Ravello L , Tulloch S
Published: June 2013

Summary

Chlamydia cases diagnosed in the women's clinic were more likely to receive expedited partner therapy (EPT) and to be re-tested as compared with urgent and emergent care settings. Fewer re-infections occurred among patients who received EPT. Disproportionate rates of chlamydia occur among American Indian (AI) populations. To describe use of EPT among chlamydia cases diagnosed at an urban Indian Health Service (IHS) facility in Arizona, health records were used to extract confirmed cases of chlamydia diagnosed between January 2009 and August 2011. Medical records of 492 patients diagnosed with chlamydia were reviewed. Among the 472 cases who received treatment, 246 (52%) received EPT. Receipt of EPT was significantly associated with being female (odds ratio (OR) 2.1, 1.03–4.4, P < 0.001) and receipt of care in the women's clinic (OR 9.9, 95% CI 6.0–16.2) or in a primary care clinic (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.1–5.1). Compared with those receiving care in the women's clinic, the odds of receipt of EPT were significantly less in those attending the urgent/express care clinic (OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.06–0.2), and the emergency department (OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.05–0.2). Among treated patients who underwent re-testing ( N = 323, 68% total treated) re-infection was less common among those that received EPT (13% versus 27%; OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3–0.9). In this IHS facility, EPT was protective in preventing chlamydia re-infection. Opportunities to expand the use of EPT were identified in urgent and emergent care settings.
Screening HIV-infected adults in Malawi for anaemia: impact on eligibility for antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Page I D , McKew S J , Kudzala A G , Fullwood C , van Oosterhout J J , Bates I
Published: June 2013

Summary

Clinical staging determines antiretroviral therapy (ART) eligibility when CD4 count is not available. Haemoglobin (Hb) ≤8 g/dL is an indication for the treatment. We measured Hb in HIV-positive Malawian adults undergoing clinical assessment for ART eligibility and calculated the percentage of patients with CD4 ≤ 350 cells/μL deemed eligible for ART by clinical staging with and without Hb measurement, using the existing threshold and an alternative proposed after comparing Hb values to CD4 counts. Three hundred and thirty-eight patients had CD4 counts measured and 226 (67%) had CD4 ≤ 350 cells/μL. Thirty-six (16%) patients with low CD4 count were eligible for ART by clinical assessment alone, 48 (21%) when Hb was also measured with a threshold of ≤8 g/dL and 74 (34%) with a threshold of ≤10 g/dL. Measuring Hb alongside clinical assessment could increase the number of patients with CD4 ≤ 350 cells/μL starting ART by 33% using a threshold of Hb ≤ 8 g/dL or 114% with a threshold of ≤10g/dL.
Acute Anxiety Impairs Accuracy in Identifying Photographed Faces
Authors: Attwood Angela S. , Penton-Voak Ian S. , Burton A. Mike , Munafò Marcus R.
Published: June 2013

We investigated whether acutely induced anxiety modifies the ability to match photographed faces. Establishing the extent to which anxiety affects face-matching accuracy is important because of the relevance of face-matching performance to critical security-related applications. Participants ( N = 28) completed the Glasgow Face Matching Test twice, once during a 20-min inhalation of medical air and once during a similar inhalation of air enriched with 7.5% CO2, which is a validated method for inducing acute anxiety. Anxiety degraded performance, but only with respect to hits, not false alarms. This finding provides further support for the dissociation between the ability to accurately identify a genuine match between faces and the ability to identify the lack of a match. Problems with the accuracy of facial identification are not resolved even when viewers are presented with a good photographic image of a face, and identification inaccuracy may be heightened when viewers are experiencing acute anxiety.
Crushing a Walnut With a Sledge Hammer? Analysing the Penal Response to the Social Supply of Illicit Drugs
Authors: Moyle Leah , Coomber Ross , Lowther Jason
Published: June 2013

The evidence base relating to illicit drug markets, drug supply activities and drug seller characteristics increasingly presents a picture of diversity, whereby differing motivations for supplying suggest different levels of culpability and divergence from a homogenised image of the drug dealer. This paper seeks to explore one specific aspect of this divergence, that of social supply and how the Criminal Justice System currently deals with this in practice and principle. It is argued that social supply is qualitatively distinct from drug dealing ‘proper’ and although this distinction is increasingly acknowledged within the Criminal Justice System, current approaches neither conform to principles of proportionality nor sufficiently understand the nature of social supply to deal with it effectively under existing legislation. Following consideration of these issues, it is argued that social supply should become a distinct offence in law, analogous to how manslaughter is distinguished from the more serious offence of murder.
Traditional Midwives in Social Reproduction: Changing Landscape in 20th Century Bengal
Authors: Soman Krishna
Published: June 2013

Women’s role in biological reproduction is recognised in Indian society over and above their contributions to social reproduction. For ages, dais—traditional midwives—have played important roles in birthing care in India, yet they are subjected to social and economic marginalisation. Contemporary interrogations into the lives of these women reveal their precarious condition. Despite continuing to represent a rich heritage of health care, they now mostly serve those who are yet to benefit from planned development. The current status of the dai has roots in the social history of the institution, which is yet to get adequate attention in research. This article attempts to explore how the images of the dais have been socially constructed in the changing socio-economic, cultural and political contexts of 20th century Bengal.
Poor Women’s Empowerment: The Discursive Space of Microfinance
Authors: Sengupta Nilanjana
Published: June 2013

This article attempts to lay out the broad discursive space connecting the triad of microfinance, poverty and empowerment. Linking the neoliberal construction of individual agency with the construction of the role of ‘third world’ women in development, it critiques microfinance for a false promise of liberation which is predicated upon a reductionist approach to both poverty and patriarchy. The article argues that microfinance can at best become a coping strategy for poor people, with the onus of survival falling disproportionately on women without necessarily benefiting them in terms of rights and entitlements. However, with insights from primary observations, the article shows that it is possible for organisations to use microfinance as a tool to connect women to larger collectives and processes that are empowering. Such organisational initiatives require the right perspectives rather than huge funds. Thus, subversion of the neoliberal agenda can happen when microfinance is shorn of its larger than life image and used as a strategy in specific contexts.
Women School Teachers in New Times: Some Preliminary Reflections
Authors: Manjrekar Nandini
Published: June 2013

Women are entering the domain of school teaching in significantly high numbers at this critical moment of the fundamental restructuring of education in contemporary India. Wider structural determinants, ideologies and practices that define and regulate women teachers in the paid workforce as well as within the domestic sphere are historically related and an examination of these is critical to understanding social reproduction within the contemporary context. This article discusses the discursive and material contexts engendered by neoliberal policy reform in the education sector which are shaping and reframing the lives of women school teachers. The article argues for the need to develop a feminist understanding of these shifting realities through deeper engagement with the professional and personal lives of women teachers in relation to broader processes of social reproduction.
Book Review: Growing Up and Away—Narratives of Indian Childhoods, Memory, History, Identity
Authors: Raman Vasanthi
Published: June 2013

Vijayalakshmi Balakrishnan, Growing Up and Away—Narratives of Indian Childhoods, Memory, History, Identity. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2011. 240 pages. ₹ 695.
Erratum: Sentiment and Self, Indian Journal of Gender Studies
Authors: Banerjee Suparna
Published: June 2013

Book Review: Peter Robb, Sentiment and Self, Indian Journal of Gender Studies, February 2013, 20(1), 161–164, doi: 10.1177/0971521512466004
Youth, action sports and political agency in the Middle East: Lessons from a grassroots parkour group in Gaza
Authors: Thorpe Holly , Ahmad Nida
Published: June 2013

In this paper we build upon recent scholarship on the globalization of youth culture and sport to examine the growing popularity of action sports in the Middle East. We focus on the development of the urban physical practice of parkour (also known as free running)—the act of running, jumping, leaping through an urban environment as fluidly, efficiently and creatively as possible—among Middle Eastern youth. Drawing upon interviews and media analysis of various print, digital and social media, we reveal how youth (particularly young men) in Gaza developed their own unique parkour group, despite various social, cultural, economic, physical and psychological obstacles. We explain the proactive approaches adopted by these young men to find appropriate training spaces, to develop the skills of local children and youth, and to support their peer groups. In particular, we describe how these young men are creatively engaging social media (e.g., YouTube, Facebook, Twitter) to gain inspiration from the transnational parkour community, and also for opening new dialogue and establishing informal cultural exchanges with parkour enthusiasts around the world. We conclude by offering some broader comments for the Sport for Development and Peace Building (SDP) movement, encouraging youth-focused SDP initiatives to move beyond the ‘deficit model’ and toward more collaborative projects that provide space for local voices and acknowledge youth agency.
Characterization of cardiac lesions in calves after ingestion of Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata)
Authors: Sula Mee Ja M. , Morgan Sandra , Bailey Keith L. , Schumpert Mark , Njaa Bradley L.
Published: June 2013

Plants of the genus Taxus are common ornamental shrubs that contain cardiotoxic alkaloids. Gross lesions consistent with heart failure are frequently reported in fatal cases; however, microscopic lesions in the heart have not been well characterized. The current report describes 2 related outbreaks in which 7 of 30, 250-kg calves died after confirmed exposure to clippings of Japanese yew ( Taxus cuspidata). Three calves died 24 hr after initial exposure, with no significant gross or histologic lesions. Leaves of the yew plant were identified within the rumen contents, and Taxus alkaloids were confirmed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Following the initial diagnosis, the yew clippings were burned. Two days later, the remaining calves were reintroduced to the enclosure. Within 24 hr, 3 additional calves began to show clinical signs of depression (3/3) or labored breathing (1/3), and by the fourth day, these 3 calves and an additional calf were found dead. Partially burnt yew leaves were found during close inspection of the enclosure. Two of 3 calves submitted for necropsy were severely autolyzed; the third had pulmonary edema and mild fibrinous pleural effusion. Histologic lesions in the latter included multifocal cardiac myocyte hypereosinophilia, sarcolemma fragmentation, pyknosis, karyolysis, myocyte loss, and a mild interstitial lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate with edema. Moderate fibrinosuppurative interstitial pneumonia was the only other significant finding. Cardiac changes were attributed to damage from the initial exposure to Taxus 6 days prior to death.
Babesia odocoilei infection in a Saskatchewan elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) herd
Authors: Pattullo Kimberly M. , Wobeser Gary , Lockerbie Betty P. , Burgess Hilary J.
Published: June 2013

An 8-year-old female elk ( Cervus elaphus canadensis) cow, presented for chronic severe weight loss and unthriftiness, was diagnosed with Babesia odocoilei infection based on blood smear evaluation, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and DNA sequence analysis. Subsequently, velvet antler from a male that died acutely on the same farm was also PCR positive for Babesia spp. Both animals originated from a game ranch of Saskatchewan-bred and -raised animals with no known history of tick exposure, but with a history of numerous sudden deaths of unknown etiology. The presence of B. odocoilei in Canada might be a result of a recent introduction that could have deleterious effects on local wild ungulates or may represent discovery of a previously unrecognized endemic disease in local wildlife.
Enumeration of feline platelets in ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid anticoagulated blood with the ADVIA 2120 system and two manual methods
Authors: Tvedten Harold W. , Ljusner Jessika , Lilliehöök Inger E.
Published: June 2013

A manual method (Thrombo-TIC; Bioanalytic GmbH, Umkirch/Freiburg, Germany) was advertised to disaggregate platelet clumps and to make human platelets spherical to improve platelet enumeration. The current study’s hypothesis was that this method would perform better than current methods for feline blood anticoagulated with ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA), which often contains platelet aggregates. Platelet concentrations (PLTs) were determined in 21 feline blood samples by 3 methods. Thrombo-TIC was compared to the manual method (Leucoplate; Sobioda, Montbonnot-Saint-Martin, France) currently used in the authors’ laboratory along with an ADVIA 2120 (Siemens AG, Eschborn, Germany) optical platelet concentration. Feline blood samples often contained platelet aggregates. ADVIA flagged for platelet aggregates in 11 of the 21 feline blood samples, and examination of blood smear revealed platelet aggregates in 14 of the 21 samples. The hemocytometers displayed more platelet aggregates with the Thrombo-TIC method than with Leucoplate. The method giving the greatest PLT was considered most accurate. The Leucoplate median PLT (238 × 109/1) was greater than Thrombo-TIC (202 × 109/1) or ADVIA (157 × 109/1). Intra-assay precision was determined for the 3 methods using the 21 feline blood samples. Median Thrombo-TIC and Leucoplate precision (7.4% and 7.3% coefficient of variation [CV], respectively) were similar and not much worse than ADVIA (5.9% CV). The Thrombo-TIC method did not appear to perform better than the current manual method (Leucoplate). Leucoplate appeared least affected by platelet aggregation in feline blood. The ADVIA automated PLT appeared to be most negatively affected by platelet aggregation. The Thrombo-TIC method did not appear to prevent platelet aggregation in feline EDTA blood samples and, thus, is not recommended for such use.
A molecular ecological approach to the detection and designation of the etiological agents of a model polymicrobial disease
Authors: Antiabong John Francis , Jardine Daniel , Boardman Wayne , Brown Melissa H. , Ball Andrew S.
Published: June 2013

The application of the original Koch postulates and the molecular Koch postulates in the definition of the etiological agents of polymicrobial diseases has received little or no attention. In the present study, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of oral samples ( n = 3) from each of 3 categories of animals (healthy, diseased [gingivitis], and then oxytetracycline-treated) was used and revealed different bacterial community structures in a model polymicrobial disease (gingivitis) and after clinical cure. Potential microbes associated with the disease and belonging to the following families were identified: Fusobacteriaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, Alcanivoracaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, and Neisseriaceae. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrophotometric analysis of culturable anaerobic bacteria culture supernatant revealed 3 major compounds (2-hydroxycaproic acid, phenyllactic acid, and indole acetic acid) that differentiated the healthy and disease groups. Results indicate that different microbial community structures were associated with the healthy and disease oral states. The results demonstrate the potential of DGGE as a tool in the detection and designation of etiological agents of polymicrobial diseases.
Performance analysis of galloping-based piezoaeroelastic energy harvesters with different cross-section geometries
Authors: Abdelkefi Abdessattar , Yan Zhimiao , Hajj Muhammad R
Published: June 2013

The concept of harvesting energy from galloping oscillations of a bluff body with different cross-section geometries attached to a cantilever beam is investigated. To convert these oscillations into electrical power, a piezoelectric transducer is attached to the transverse degree of freedom of the prismatic structure. Modal analysis is performed to determine the exact mode shapes of the structure. A coupled nonlinear distributed-parameter model is developed to determine the effects of the cross-section geometry, load resistance, and wind speed on the level of the harvester power. The quasi-steady approximation is used to model the aerodynamic loads. Linear analysis is performed to investigate the effects of the electrical load resistance and the cross-section geometry on the onset speed of galloping. The results show that the electrical load resistance and the cross-section geometry affect significantly the onset speed of galloping. Nonlinear analysis is performed to determine the effects of the electrical load resistance, cross-section geometry, and wind speed on the system’s outputs and particularly the level of the harvested power. A comparison of the performance of the different cross sections in terms of displacement and harvested power is presented. The results show that different sections are better for harvesting energy over different regions of the flow speed. The results also show that maximum levels of harvested power are accompanied with minimum transverse displacement amplitudes for all considered (square, D, and triangular) cross-section geometries.
A parametrically excited vibration energy harvester
Authors: Jia Yu , Yan Jize , Soga Kenichi , Seshia Ashwin A
Published: June 2013

In the arena of vibration energy harvesting, the key technical challenges continue to be low power density and narrow operational frequency bandwidth. While the convention has relied upon the activation of the fundamental mode of resonance through direct excitation, this article explores a new paradigm through the employment of parametric resonance. Unlike the former, oscillatory amplitude growth is not limited due to linear damping. Therefore, the power output can potentially build up to higher levels. Additionally, it is the onset of non-linearity that eventually limits parametric resonance; hence, this approach can also potentially broaden the operating frequency range. Theoretical prediction and numerical modelling have suggested an order higher in oscillatory amplitude growth. An experimental macro-sized electromagnetic prototype (practical volume of ~1800 cm3) when driven into parametric resonance, has demonstrated around 50% increase in half power band and an order of magnitude higher peak power density normalised against input acceleration squared (293 µW cm−3 m−2 s4 with 171.5 mW at 0.57 m s−2) in contrast to the same prototype directly driven at fundamental resonance (36.5 µW cm−3 m−2 s4 with 27.75 mW at 0.65 m s−2). This figure suggests promising potentials while comparing with current state-of-the-art macro-sized counterparts, such as Perpetuum’s PMG-17 (119 µW cm−3 m−2 s4).
The Emotional Component of Service-Learning
Authors: Carson Russell L. , Domangue Elizabeth A.
Published: June 2013

The interest in and acceptance of service-learning has insufficiently addressed the inextricable emotional linkage to all of its functions. Utilizing Coles’ (1993) conceptualization of the intricate role of emotion in service-learning, this study explored how and why emotion and feeling are central to college students’ service-learning experiences. Multiple data sources were collected across three consecutive semesters from a total of 42 college students who participated in the same service-learning program in southeastern United States. Inductive analyses revealed wide-ranging and ever-changing breadth of emotion were experienced across and within participating college students, particularly emotional states that reflected Coles’ hazards of “arrogance, anger, and bitterness” and satisfaction of “something done, someone reached.” Regardless whether satisfying or hazardous emotion states were felt, they were mainly the result of students’ previous service experiences and/or expectations. Implications of these results for future research and the design of service-learning programs are discussed.
Adventure Programs and Diverse Family Styles
Authors: Lee KoFan , Ewert Alan
Published: June 2013

This study focused on the mediating effect of two adventure programs emphasizing relationship establishment between youth on the relationship between family styles and levels of intrinsic motivation. Family style is defined as the levels of caring and discipline family members give to their children. Because of its connection to interest, autonomy, competence, and relatedness, family style is considered as a variable impacting on levels of motivation participating in experiential-based programs. Findings indicated that during the overall adventure experiences, the high support and high challenge (HSHC) family group showed an enhanced level of relatedness than the low support and low challenge (LSLC) group. In addition, pairwise comparisons indicated differences in competence and relatedness between the HSHC and the LSLC groups in the pretest, but were no longer significant at the posttest. The paired t tests showed that the LSLC group improved on interest, competence, and relatedness throughout the adventure experiences. The findings indicated that the adventure programs offer an environment, which enhance youth participants’ perceived interest and psychological needs, especially for youth from the LSLC group.
Circle Talks As Situated Experiential Learning
Authors: Seaman Jayson , Rheingold Alison
Published: June 2013

This article presents research that used ethnographic and sociolinguistic methods to study ways participants learn through reflection when carried out as a “circle talk.” The data indicate that participants in the event (a) invoked different contextual frames that (b) implicated them in various identity positions, which (c) affected how they could express their knowledge. These features worked together to generate socially shared meanings that enabled participants to jointly achieve conceptualization—the ideational role “reflection” is presumed to play in the experiential learning process. The analysis supports the claim that participants generate new knowledge in reflection, but challenges individualistic and cognitive assumptions regarding how this occurs. The article builds on situated views of experiential learning by showing how knowledge can be understood as socially shared and how learning and identity formation are mutually entailing processes.
Ankle Dorsiflexion Arthrodesis to Salvage Chopart’s Amputation With Anterior Skin Insufficiency
Authors: Krause Fabian G. , Pfander Gilles , Henning Julia , Shafighi Maziar , Weber Martin
Published: June 2013

Background:

In Chopart-level amputations the heel often deviates into equinus and varus when, due to the lack of healthy anterior soft tissue, rebalancing tendon transfers to the talar head are not possible. Consequently, anterior and lateral wound dehiscence and ulceration may occur requiring higher-level amputation to achieve wound closure, with considerable loss of function for the patients.

Methods:

Twenty-four consecutive patients (15 diabetes, 6 trauma, and 3 tumor) had Chopart’s amputation and simultaneous or delayed additional ankle dorsiflexion arthrodesis to allow for tension-free wound closure or soft tissue reconstruction, or to treat secondary recurrent ulcerations. Percutaneous Achilles tendon lengthening and subtalar arthrodesis were added as needed. Wound healing problems, time to fusion and full weight-bearing in the prosthesis, complications in the prosthesis, and the ambulatory status were assessed. Satisfaction and function were evaluated by the AmpuPro score and the validated Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire scale.

Results:

Five patients had successful soft tissue healing and fusions but died of their underlying disease 2 to 46 months after the operation. Two diabetic patients required a transtibial amputation. The other 17 patients were followed for 27 months (range, 13-63). The average age of the 4 women and 13 men was 53.9 years (range, 16-87). Postoperative complications included minor wound healing problems in 8 patients, wound breakdown requiring revision in 4, phantom pain in 3, residual equinus in 1, and adjacent scar carcinoma in 1 patient. The time to full weight-bearing in the prosthesis ranged from 6 to 24 weeks (mean 10). The mean AmpuPro score was 107 points (of 120), and the mean Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire scale was 147 points (of 200). No complications occurred with the prosthesis. Twelve patients lost 1 to 2 mobility classes (mean 0.9). The arthrodeses all healed within 2.5 months (range, 1.5 to 5 months).

Conclusion:

Adding an ankle arthrodesis to a Chopart’s amputation either immediately or in a delayed fashion to treat anterior soft tissue complications was a successful salvage in most patients at this amputation level. It enabled the patients to preserve the advantages of a full-length limb with terminal weight-bearing.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, retrospective case series.
Application of refined bacterial foraging algorithm technique to control of optimal power dispatch with interline power flow controller
Authors: Jaganathan Subramani , Palaniswami Senniappan
Published: June 2013

This paper presents a novel refined bacterial foraging algorithm (RBFA) to solve a multi-objective optimal power dispatch (MOOPD) problem incorporating multiline flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) devices in modern power systems and to seek optimal parameters of the same. This paper also deals with the concept of the interline power flow controller (IPFC) for providing better power flow management in a multiline transmission system. The optimal control parameters thus obtained are used to enhance the stability of the system and minimize transmission losses. The stability of modern power systems is improved by installing fast reacting devices such as IPFC together with the optimal parameters of IPFC. The optimal location of IPFC and solving optimal power dispatch (OPD) problems are required to employ the introduction of multi-objective based optimization techniques. This paper proposes a new algorithm based on the bacterial foraging algorithm (BFA) with a proposed multi-objective optimization technique. The proposed approach is tested with standard IEEE 30 bus system and comprehensive simulation results show better in constraint handling, finding optimal control parameters of IPFC, handling of voltage profile, minimize the transmission losses and quality of solution.