bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Astragaloside-IV Protects Against Heat-induced Apoptosis by Inhibiting Excessive Activation of Mitochondrial Ca2+ Uniporter
Authors: Dong Zhiwei , Zhang Chen , Chen Yajie , Chen Yu , Yuan Zhiqiang , Peng Yizhi , Cao Tongtong
Published: June 2017

Background: Heat causes airway damage during inhalation injury because of bronchial epithelial cell damage. Accumulating evidence shows that mitochondrial uniporter (MCU) is involved in cell damage. We investigated the MCU activity after heat treatment and assessed whether Astragaloside-IV (AS-IV) suppresses heat-induced apoptosis in bronchial epithelial cells by inhibiting the activation of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU), mitochondrial depolarisation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Methods: The bronchial epithelial cell line 16HBE14o- was heat treated, and cell apoptosis was induced in vitro and in vivo. AS-IV was inorganically administered to Wistar rats twice a day after thermal inhalation injury, and 16HBE140- cells were treated with AS-IV after incubation at 47°C for 5 min. Protein expression was determined using Western blotting and commercial kits, apoptosis with TUNEL staining, mitochondrial channel activity by patch clamp, reactive oxygen species by MitoSOXTM fluorescence, ATP levels and enzyme activities by commercial kits as well as mitochondrial respiration and calcium by fluorescence. Results: AS-IV markedly inhibited heat-induced apoptosis, as indicated by the increased expression of the pro-apoptotic genes Bak, Bik and Bmf and increased expression of the apoptosis markers Bax, cleaved parp, cleaved caspase3 and cytochrome C. We found that MCU activation promoted mitochondrial Ca2+ overload, ATP depletion, mitochondrial ROS production and cytochrome c release and rapidly induced apoptosis. However, AS-IV treatment reduced excessive MCU activation and led to resistance against mitochondrial Ca2+ overload and excessive cytochrome C release; these effects were blocked by the MCU activator spermine. AS-IV treatment elevated ATP production and decreased ROS activity. Conclusions: MCU plays crucial roles in heat-induced mitochondrial apoptosis in 16HBE140- cells, suggesting a potential target for AS-IV treatment.
Prevalence, Correlates, and Prognosis of Healthy Vascular Aging in a Western Community-Dwelling Cohort
Authors: Niiranen Teemu J. , Lyass Asya , Larson Martin G. , Hamburg Naomi M. , Benjamin Emelia J. , Mitchell Gary F. , Vasan Ramachandran S.
Published: May 2017

Hypertension and increased vascular stiffness are viewed as inevitable parts of aging. To elucidate whether the age-related decrease in vascular function is avoidable, we assessed the prevalence, correlates, and prognosis of healthy vascular aging (HVA) in 3196 Framingham Study participants aged ≥50 years. We defined HVA as absence of hypertension and pulse wave velocity <7.6 m/s (mean+2 SD of a reference sample aged <30 years). Overall, 566 (17.7%) individuals had HVA, with prevalence decreasing from 30.3% in people aged 50 to 59 to 1% in those aged ≥70 years. In regression models adjusted for physical activity, caloric intake, and traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, we observed that lower age, female sex, lower body mass index, use of lipid-lowering drugs, and absence of diabetes mellitus were cross-sectionally associated with HVA (
P
<0.001 for all). A unit increase in a cardiovascular health score (Life’s Simple 7) was associated with 1.55-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.38–1.74) age- and sex-adjusted odds of HVA. During a follow-up of 9.6 years, 391 CVD events occurred. In Cox regression models adjusted for traditional CVD risk factors, including blood pressure, HVA was associated with a hazard ratio of 0.45 (95% confidence interval, 0.26–0.77) for CVD relative to absence of HVA. Although HVA is achievable in individuals acculturated to a Western lifestyle, maintaining normal vascular function beyond 70 years of age is challenging. Although our data are observational, our findings support prevention strategies targeting modifiable factors and behaviors and obesity, in particular, to prevent or delay vascular aging and the associated risk of CVD.
Rank Selection in Nonnegative Matrix Factorization using Minimum Description Length
Authors: Squires Steven , Prügel-Bennett Adam , Niranjan Mahesan
Published: May 2017

Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is primarily a linear dimensionality reduction technique that factorizes a nonnegative data matrix into two smaller nonnegative matrices: one that represents the basis of the new subspace and the second that holds the coefficients of all the data points in that new space. In principle, the nonnegativity constraint forces the representation to be sparse and parts based. Instead of extracting holistic features from the data, real parts are extracted that should be significantly easier to interpret and analyze. The size of the new subspace selects how many features will be extracted from the data. An effective choice should minimize the noise while extracting the key features. We propose a mechanism for selecting the subspace size by using a minimum description length technique. We demonstrate that our technique provides plausible estimates for real data as well as accurately predicting the known size of synthetic data. We provide an implementation of our code in a Matlab format.
A reevaluation of the specimens of Mesocoelium (Trematoda: Mesocoeliidae) in the Colección Nacional de Helmintos, Mexico
Authors: LÓPEZ-GARCÍA ASHLEY SAMARA , GARCÍA-PRIETO LUIS
Published: June 2017

Species of Mesocoelium Odhner, 1901 (Digenea) are generally similar and are often difficult to distinguish. Currently there are 42 specimens of this genus held in the Colección Nacional de Helmintos (CNHE) of the Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, which previously have been assigned to three species: M. monas Rudolphi, 1819, M. travassosi Pereira & Cuocolo, 1940 and M. leiperi Bhalerao, 1936. Upon reevaluation of these specimens it was determined that 27, could not be assigned to species level and 15 could only be assigned to body type (carli and leiperi) because of the poor conditions of preservation of the material. The remaining 15 specimens were of sufficient quality to be identified to species and were found to represent M. americanum Harwood, 1932, M. danforthi Hoffman, 1935, M. meggitti Bhalerao, 1927, M. cf. americanum Harwood, 1932, and M. cf. danforthi Hoffman, 1935. Neither M. monas nor M. travassosi could be confirmed among these specimens; however, Mesocoelium meggitti (syn. M. travassosi) was confirmed. Mesocoelium danforthi is recorded for the first time in the Mexican collection. The presence of M. cf. gonocephali Singh, 1967 and M. cf. microon Nicoll, 1914 also among the 15 specimens of sufficient quality to be identified to species, needs to be confirmed through collects of new material. Finally, in future studies, we propose to improve the quality of specimens by fixing them considering the modifications to this process proposed herein, and compliment these morphological studies with molecular studies.
New records of harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones) from Minnesota, USA
Authors: SHOEMAKER A. KENJI , BURNS MERCEDES , BOYER SARAH L.
Published: June 2017

Harvestmen (Opiliones) are a diverse order of arachnids composed of more than 6,600 described species which together span an almost global distribution. Although these animals may occur in extremely high abundance in both pristine and disturbed habitats, much of harvestman diversity remains undescribed, undocumented, and/or in need of taxonomic attention. In the current study, we focus on the harvestman diversity of the state of Minnesota, USA, where a lack of local expertise and effort has left the species richness of the state largely undocumented. We document two genera and seven species previously unrecorded in the state.—Leiobunum aldrichi, L. calcar, L. flavum, L. politum, L. ventricosum, L. vittatum,  and Odiellus pictus.
Competing Influences of Anthropogenic Warming, ENSO, and Plant Physiology on Future Terrestrial Aridity
Authors: Bonfils Céline , Anderson Gemma , Santer Benjamin D. , Phillips Thomas J. , Taylor Karl E. , Cuntz Matthias , Zelinka Mark D. , Marvel Kate , Cook Benjamin I. , Cvijanovic Ivana , Durack Paul J.
Published: June 2017

The 2011–16 California drought illustrates that drought-prone areas do not always experience relief once a favorable phase of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) returns. In the twenty-first century, such an expectation is unrealistic in regions where global warming induces an increase in terrestrial aridity larger than the changes in aridity driven by ENSO variability. This premise is also flawed in areas where precipitation supply cannot offset the global warming–induced increase in evaporative demand. Here, atmosphere-only experiments are analyzed to identify land regions where aridity is currently sensitive to ENSO and where projected future changes in mean aridity exceed the range caused by ENSO variability. Insights into the drivers of these changes in aridity are obtained using simulations with the incremental addition of three different factors to the current climate: ocean warming, vegetation response to elevated CO2levels, and intensified CO2radiative forcing. The effect of ocean warming overwhelms the range of ENSO-driven temperature variability worldwide, increasing potential evapotranspiration (PET) in most ENSO-sensitive regions. Additionally, about 39% of the regions currently sensitive to ENSO will likely receive less precipitation in the future, independent of the ENSO phase. Consequently aridity increases in 67%–72% of the ENSO-sensitive area. When both radiative and physiological effects are considered, the area affected by arid conditions rises to 75%–79% when using PET-derived measures of aridity, but declines to 41% when an aridity indicator for total soil moisture is employed. This reduction mainly occurs because plant stomatal resistance increases under enhanced CO2concentrations, resulting in improved plant water-use efficiency, and hence reduced evapotranspiration and soil desiccation. Imposing CO2-invariant stomatal resistance may overestimate future drying in PET-derived indices.
Precipitation Characteristics in West and East Africa from Satellite and in Situ Observations
Authors: Dezfuli Amin K. , Ichoku Charles M. , Mohr Karen I. , Huffman George J.
Published: June 2017

Using in situ data, three precipitation classes are identified for rainy seasons of West and East Africa: weak convective rainfall (WCR), strong convective rainfall (SCR), and mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). Nearly 75% of the total seasonal precipitation is produced by the SCR and MCSs, even though they represent only 8% of the rain events. Rain events in East Africa tend to have a longer duration and lower intensity than in West Africa, reflecting different characteristics of the SCR and MCS events in these two regions. Surface heating seems to be the primary convection trigger for the SCR, particularly in East Africa, whereas the WCR requires a dynamical trigger such as low-level convergence. The data are used to evaluate the performance of the recently launched Integrated Multisatellite Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG) project. The IMERG-based precipitation shows significant improvement over its predecessor, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA), particularly in capturing the MCSs, due to its improved temporal resolution.
Presidents, Assembly Dissolution, and the Electoral Performance of Prime Ministers
Authors: Schleiter Petra , Morgan-Jones Edward
Published: June 2017

Many European presidents have extensive constitutional powers to affect the timing of early parliamentary elections, which enables them to influence when incumbent governments must face the electorate. This article examines whether presidents use their assembly dissolution powers for partisan benefit. To date, presidential activism in the electoral arena of parliamentary and semipresidential democracies remains poorly understood. We hypothesize that presidents use their powers to influence election calling for the advantage of their political allies in government. To test this argument, we use data on 190 elections in 18 European democracies. Our results suggest that presidents with significant dissolution powers are able to shape the electoral success of incumbents. Prime ministers whose governments are allied to such presidents realize a vote and seat share bonus of around 5%. These findings have implications for our understanding of presidential activism, strategic parliamentary dissolution, and electoral accountability.
Merit, Tenure, and Bureaucratic Behavior: Evidence From a Conjoint Experiment in the Dominican Republic
Authors: Oliveros Virginia , Schuster Christian
Published: June 2017

Bureaucratic behavior in developing countries remains poorly understood. Why do some public servants—yet not others—work hard to deliver public services, misuse state resources, and/or participate in electoral mobilization? A classic answer comes from Weber: Bureaucratic structures shift behavior toward integrity, neutrality, and commitment to public service. Our study conducts the first survey experimental test of the effects of bureaucratic structures. It does so through a conjoint experiment with public servants in the Dominican Republic. Looking at merit examinations and job stability, we find that Weber was right—but only partially. Recruitment by examination curbs corruption and political services by bureaucrats, while enhancing work motivation. Job stability, by contrast, only decreases political services: Tenured bureaucrats are less likely to participate in electoral mobilization. Examinations thus enhance the quality of bureaucracy (motivation and lower corruption) and democracy (electoral competition); job stability only enhances the quality of democracy.
Understanding the meta-discourse driving homeless policies and programs in Toronto, Canada: The neoliberal management of social service delivery
Authors: Johnstone Marjorie , Lee Eunjung , Connelly Jo
Published: May 2017

Although Canada is one of the top 10 trading nations in the global economy, homelessness continues to be a significant social problem. To understand this paradox, we examine academic debates on best practices, the genesis and sociocultural contexts of recent policies, and community-based homeless services. Our critical review unveils the underlying ideology of service provision: the meta-discourse of neoliberalism, which results in time-limited programs, divorced from community needs, with an ad hoc development of services. We resist this discourse by highlighting how a social work commitment to social justice can mitigate the new neoliberal requirements in homeless services delivery.
More Than the Sum of Its Parts: A Transformative Theory of Biculturalism
Authors: West Alexandria L. , Zhang Rui , Yampolsky Maya , Sasaki Joni Y.
Published: June 2017

With the rise of globalization, culture mixing increasingly occurs not only between groups and individuals belonging to different cultures but also within individuals. Biculturals, or people who are part of two cultures, are a growing population that has been studied in recent years; yet, there is still much to learn about exactly how their unique experiences of negotiating their cultures affect the way they think and behave. Past research has at times relied on models of biculturalism that conceptualize biculturals’ characteristics and experiences as simply the sum of their cultures’ influences. Yet, the way biculturals negotiate their cultures may result in unique psychological and social products that go beyond the additive contributions of each culture, suggesting the need for a new transformative theory of biculturalism. In this theoretical contribution, our aims are threefold: to (a) establish the need for a transformative theory of biculturalism, (b) discuss how our new transformative theory unifies existing research on biculturals’ lived experiences, and (c) present novel hypotheses linking specific negotiation processes (i.e., hybridizing, integrating, and frame switching) to unique products within the basic psychological domains of self, motivation, and cognition.
Physical Fitness and Frailty Syndrome in Institutionalized Older Women
Authors: Furtado Guilherme , Patrício Miguel , Loureiro Marisa , Teixeira Ana Maria , Ferreira José Pedro
Published: May 2017

Associations between frailty and physical-functional fitness (PFF) indicators in frail women over 65 years of age remain largely unexplored. This study analyzed the relationship between frailty syndrome (FS) and PFF indicators and assessed how the latter might predict the former. Participants were 119 elderly women (81.96 ± 7.89 years) recruited from four social and healthcare centers. PFF was assessed through muscle strength tests of upper and lower limbs, endurance, agility-dynamic balance, flexibility, and body composition. The following FS indicators were assessed: weight loss, exhaustion, weakness, slowness, and low physical activity level. Significant correlations were found between FS and endurance, agility-dynamic balance, upper and lower limbs muscle strength tests. Comparitive analyses also revealed that, among FS groups, the frail subgroup performed significantly poorer on all PFF measures except body composition. Additionally, a receiving operating characteristics curve analysis revealed good diagnostic accuracy for predicting FS using the agility-dynamic balance test (Area Under Curve [AUC] = .82, 95% CI [0.74, 0.90]; sensitivity and specificity were 70.4% and 84.8% for the cutoff = 16.22 seconds). Accurately, the risk of frail condition (not pre-frail) increases about 2.12% per second spent in this test. Thus, the agility-dynamic balance test is a promising tool for screening institutionalized older people for risk of FS.
Self-Reported Versus Accelerometer-Assessed Daily Physical Activity in Childhood Obesity Treatment
Authors: Schnurr Theresia M. , Bech Bianca , Nielsen Tenna R. H. , Andersen Ida G. , Hjorth Mads F. , Aadahl Mette , Fonvig Cilius E. , Hansen Torben , Holm Jens-Christian
Published: May 2017

We investigated the relationship between interview-based subjective ratings of physical activity (PA) engagement and accelerometer-assessed objectively measured PA in children and adolescents with overweight or obesity. A total of 92 children and adolescents (40 males, 52 females) with BMI ≥ 90th percentile for sex and age, aged 5–17 years had valid GT3X + accelerometer-assessed PA and interview-assessed self-reported information on PA engagement at the time of enrollment in a multidisciplinary outpatient tertiary treatment for childhood obesity. Accelerometer-derived mean overall PA and time spent in moderate to vigorous physical intensity were generated, applying cut-offs based on Vector Magnitude settings as defined by Romanzini et al. (2014), and a physical activity score (PAS) based on self-reported data. Overall, a higher self-reported PAS was correlated with higher accelerometer-assessed daily total PA levels ( r = 0.34, p < .01) and children who reported a high PAS were more physically active compared with children who reported a low PAS. There was a fair level of agreement between self-reported PAS and accelerometer-assessed PA (Kappa agreement = 0.23; 95% CI = [0.03, 0.43]; p = .01). PAS, derived from self-report, may be a useful instrument for evaluating PA at a group level among children and adolescents enrolled in multidisciplinary obesity treatment.
Vocational Rehabilitation Service Patterns: An Application of Social Network Analysis to Examine Employment Outcomes of Transition-Age Individuals With Autism
Authors: Ditchman Nicole M. , Miller Jennifer L. , Easton Amanda B.
Published: May 2017

Young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face poor employment outcomes following transition from school to adult life. Social network analysis is a useful approach for examining service patterns associated with employment success for this population. An advantage of this approach is its focus on the interdependence of variables rather than individual predictors. This study applies network methodology to examine the relations between vocational rehabilitation services and young adults with ASD to predict employment status. Using the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA-911) data set, participants included 2,219 individuals with ASD between the ages of 16 and 24 served by the public vocational rehabilitation system and closed as either competitively employed or not employed. A two-mode network was constructed such that a relation was defined for each service an individual received. Results from a core-periphery analysis indicated that of the 22 services available, core services included assessment, counseling/guidance, job placement, on-the-job support, job search support, and transportation services. Follow-up analyses suggested that the greater number of these six core services an individual received, the better the employment outcome. Findings highlight that these services should be viewed as interconnected and suggest a set of six core services that may be particularly beneficial for this population.
Distributed dynamic simulations of networked control and building performance applications
Authors: Yahiaoui Azzedine
Published: May 2017

The use of computer-based automation and control systems for smart sustainable buildings, often so-called Automated Buildings (ABs), has become an effective way to automatically control, optimize, and supervise a wide range of building performance applications over a network while achieving the minimum energy consumption possible, and in doing so generally refers to Building Automation and Control Systems (BACS) architecture. Instead of costly and time-consuming experiments, this paper focuses on using distributed dynamic simulations to analyze the real-time performance of network-based building control systems in ABs and improve the functions of the BACS technology. The paper also presents the development and design of a distributed dynamic simulation environment with the capability of representing the BACS architecture in simulation by run-time coupling two or more different software tools over a network. The application and capability of this new dynamic simulation environment are demonstrated by an experimental design in this paper.
Epistemic injustice
Authors: Giladi Paul
Published: June 2017

My aim in this article is to propose that an insightful way of articulating the feminist concept of epistemic injustice can be provided by paying significant attention to recognition theory. The article intends to provide an account for diagnosing epistemic injustice as a social pathology and also attempts to paint a picture of some social cure of structural forms of epistemic injustice. While there are many virtues to the literature on epistemic injustice, epistemic exclusion and silencing, current discourse on diagnosing as well as explicating and overcoming these social pathologies can be improved and enriched by bringing recognition theory into the conversation: under recognition theory, social normative standards are constructed out of the moral grammar of recognition attributions. I shall argue that the failure to properly recognize and afford somebody or a social group the epistemic respect they merit is an act of injustice in the sense of depriving individuals of a progressive social environment in which the epistemic respect afforded to them plays a significant role in enabling and fostering their self-confidence as rational enquirers. Testimonial injustice is particularly harrowing, because it robs a group or an individual of the status of a rational enquirer, thereby creating an asymmetrical cognitive environment in which that group or individual is not deemed one’s conversational peer. Hermeneutical injustice is particularly harrowing, because asymmetrical cognitive environments further entrench the normative power of ideology.
Pitch-verticality and pitch-size cross-modal interactions
Authors: Bonetti Leonardo , Costa Marco
Published: June 2017

Two studies were conducted on cross-modal matching between pitch and sound source localization on the vertical axis, and pitch and size. In the first study 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 600 Hz, and 800 Hz tones were emitted by a loudspeaker positioned 60 cm above or below to the participant’s ear level. Using a speeded classification task, 30 participants had to indicate the sound source in 160 trials. Both reaction times and errors were analyzed. The results showed that in the congruent condition of high-pitched tones emitted from the upper loudspeaker, reaction times were significantly faster and the number of errors was significantly lower. Pitch was mapped on the vertical axis for sound localization. A main effect for sound source direction was also found. Tones coming from the upper loudspeaker were recognized faster and more accurately. Males were faster than females in identifying sound source direction. In the second experiment, 20 participants had to match 21 tones varying in pitch with 9 circles differing in visual angle on 42 trials. The results showed a clear inverse linear association between log-spaced tone pitch and circle diameter.
Panacea or diagnosis? Imaginaries of innovation and the ‘MIT model’ in three political cultures
Authors: Pfotenhauer Sebastian , Jasanoff Sheila
Published: June 2017

Innovation studies continue to struggle with an apparent disconnect between innovation’s supposedly universal dynamics and a sense that policy frameworks and associated instruments of innovation are often ineffectual or even harmful when transported across regions or countries. Using a cross-country comparative analysis of three implementations of the ‘MIT model’ of innovation in the UK, Portugal and Singapore, we show how key features in the design, implementation and performance of the model cannot be explained as mere variations on an identical solution to the same underlying problem. We draw on the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries to show how implementations of the ‘same’ innovation model – and with it the notion of ‘innovation’ itself – are co-produced with locally specific diagnoses of a societal deficiency and equally specific understandings of acceptable remedies. Our analysis thus flips the conventional notion of ‘best-practice transfer’ on its head: Instead of asking ‘how well’ an innovation model has been implemented, we analyze the differences among the three importations to reveal the idiosyncratic ways in which each country imagines the purpose of innovation. We replace the notion of innovation as a ‘panacea’ – a universal fix for all social woes – with that of innovation-as-diagnosis in which a particular ‘cure’ is ‘prescribed’ for a ‘diagnosed’ societal ‘pathology,’ which may in turn trigger ‘reactions’ within the receiving body. This approach offers new possibilities for theorizing how and where culture matters in innovation policy. It suggests that the ‘successes’ and ‘failures’ of innovation models are not a matter of how well societies are able to implement a sound, universal model, but more about how effectively they articulate their imaginaries of innovation and tailor their strategies accordingly.
Late Holocene coastal dynamics and relative sea-level changes in the littoral of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil
Authors: Alves Fabio Corrêa , Rossetti Dilce de Fátima
Published: June 2017

A preliminary analysis of a segment of the Paraíba littoral in northeastern Brazil revealed a prograding shoreline in a coast currently characterized by estuarine transgressive depositional systems. Detailed study of coastal geomorphology is of relevance to reconstruct the sea-level history in this shoreline. Such investigation can help improve the record of past sea-level curves of northeastern Brazil, an issue still open to debates. In this work, we explored remote sensing imagery for the geomorphological characterization of this prograding shoreline and combined this information with geological field data aiming to establish the various phases of shoreline progradation. In addition, we also analyzed the potential forcing factors responsible for the morphological changes in the eastern section of the littoral of Paraíba during the late Holocene, comparing changes with other prograding shorelines along the east coast of Brazil. Geomorphological interpretation was based on the analysis of Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) images acquired aboard the Advanced Land Observing Satellite 1 (ALOS-1). Geological data comprised dating of sand samples by the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) technique for the establishment of the chronological context. The coastal deposits are represented by a cuspate morphology and numerous internal beach ridges that prograded seaward from a roughly north–south trending palaeocliff. The chronological data indicate shoreline progradation during the past 2.1 ± 0.1 ka, after the mid-Holocene sea-level fall. Several prograding episodes occurred during this time, some not matching with proposed sea-level rises punctuated upon the overall fall. Together with the regional geological context of the study area, we propose that eustatic sea-level was not the only factor triggering coastal progradation in this region.
Organizational Change under Institutional Logics: Family Control of Corporate Boards in Taiwan
Authors: Kim Young-Choon , Chung Chi-Nien
Published: May 2017

We examine how family ownership affects the changing composition of board members in Taiwan. We suggest that the association between family ownership and board composition should be understood in the institutional context in which a firm is situated. We find not only that family-owned firms embedded in the local capital market exhibit greater family presence on the board but also that this effect becomes weaker for those exposed to foreign capital markets. The strong association between family ownership and board control is maintained when the firm is embedded in a local logic of governance but significantly weakens when the firm or its affiliated group is exposed to a global logic of governance. Our research suggests that organizational change in corporate governance practices is contingent upon the institutional logics in which a firm’s governance and control mechanisms are situated.
Corporate Motivations for Donating to the Police in Bulgaria
Authors: Aymaliev Ivan M.
Published: May 2017

From 2005 to 2011, the Bulgarian police force collected donations exceeding $90 million from a host of individuals, corporations, foreign governments, persons undergoing criminal investigations, and convicts. After condemnation both domestically and internationally, the practice became completely illegal in 2013. Nevertheless, in 2015, the government lifted the donation prohibition, allowing foreign governments and international and state organizations to donate to the Interior Ministry. Differentiating between utilitarian and moral models of corporate social responsibility is important, since genuine donors create higher value through their prosocial deeds than self-interested ones. Given Bulgaria’s excessive spending on public order and the ambiguous nature of donations to public servants, we seek to understand the corporate motivations for donating to the police. To address this question, we draw upon theories of corporate philanthropy, social exchange, and entrepreneurial orientation and use unique face-to-face interview data from 2011 to 2013 with police officers and businesspeople. Our qualitative findings point to multifaceted drivers of philanthropy beyond those considered in the dominant strategic-instrumental perspective. We argue that donations to the police can be an expression of business executives’ altruistic values, a desire to forge strategic alliances, enhance status in social hierarchies, a form of political reconciliation, or a protection payment. Lastly, we present descriptive statistics of money donated to the Interior Ministry, discuss the potential socioeconomic consequences, and propose policies to reduce police reliance on private financing.
Assessing ballast cleaning as a rehabilitation method for railway masonry arch bridges by dynamic load tests
Authors: Mohammadzadeh Saeed , Miri Amin , Nouri Mehrdad
Published: June 2017

Dynamic load testing has become a common practice for condition assessment of masonry arch bridges and lays the foundation for their rehabilitation procedures; however, additional dynamic testing after rehabilitation is rare. Carrying out dynamic load tests before and after rehabilitation programs produces valuable results with regard to the structural changes of the bridge. This paper tries to assess the effects of ballast cleaning on the performance of railway masonry arch bridges by conducting dynamic load tests before and after the rehabilitation procedure. To do so, a 70-year-old masonry arch bridge is instrumented with deflection meters and accelerometers. Dynamic load tests are carried out before and after ballast cleaning and results are compared. According to the test results, vertical deflections of different spots on the bridge remain the same, with a deviation of less than 5%. On the other hand, vibrations on the structure are reduced significantly. On average, vibration levels are reduced by 35% in different spots of the structure.
Automatic Associations Between One’s Partner and One’s Affect as the Proximal Mechanism of Change in Relationship Satisfaction: Evidence From Evaluative Conditioning
Authors: McNulty James K. , Olson Michael A. , Jones Rachael E. , Acosta Laura M.
Published: May 2017

The current study examined whether directly altering affective associations involving a relationship partner through evaluative conditioning can lead to changes in relationship satisfaction. Married couples ( N = 144) were asked to view a brief stream of images once every 3 days for 6 weeks. Embedded in this stream were pictures of the partner, which, according to random assignment of couples to experimental group, were paired with either positive or neutral stimuli. Couples also completed measures of automatic partner attitudes and explicit marital satisfaction at baseline and once every 2 weeks for 8 weeks. Spouses who viewed their partners paired with positive stimuli demonstrated more-positive automatic partner attitudes than did control spouses, and these attitudes predicted increased self-reported marital satisfaction over time. These results provide novel evidence for a mechanism of change in relationship satisfaction, represent a step toward documenting how strong attitudes can evolve through passive exposure to information, and suggest novel avenues for relationship interventions.
Millennial scale variability of denudation rates for the last 15 kyr inferred from the detrital 10Be record of Lake Stappitz in the Hohe Tauern massif, Austrian Alps
Authors: Grischott Reto , Kober Florian , Lupker Maarten , Reitner Juergen M , Drescher-Schneider Ruth , Hajdas Irka , Christl M , Willett Sean D
Published: June 2017

Reconstructing paleo-denudation rates over Holocene timescales in an Alpine catchment provides a unique opportunity to isolate the climatic forcing of denudation from other tectonic or anthropogenic effects. Cosmogenic 10Be on two sediment cores from Lake Stappitz (Austrian Alps) were measured yielding a 15-kyr-long catchment-averaged denudation record of the upstream Seebach Valley. The persistence of a lake at the outlet of the valley fixed the baselevel, and the high mean elevation minimizes anthropogenic impacts. The 10Be record indicates a decrease in the proportion of paraglacial sediments from 15 to 7 kyr cal. BP after which the 10Be concentrations are considered to reflect hillslope erosion and thus can be converted to denudation rates. These ones significantly fluctuated over this time period: lower hillslope erosion rates of ca. 0.4 mm/year dated between 5 and 7 kyr cal. BP correlate with a stable climate, sparse flooding events and elevated temperatures that favoured the widespread growth of stabilizing soils and vegetation. Higher hillslope erosion rates of ca. 0.8 mm/year over the last ~4 kyr correlate with a variable, cooler climate where frequent flooding events enhance denudation of less protected hillslopes. Overall, our results suggest a tight coupling of climate and hillslope erosion in alpine landscapes as it has been observed in other parts of the Alps.
‘A more creditable way’: The discovery of active sonar, the Langevin–Chilowsky patent dispute and the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors
Authors: Zimmerman David
Published: June 2017

On 19 July 1926, the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors held a hearing on the claim of Professor Paul Langevin and Monsieur M. Constantin Chilowsky for compensation from the British Admiralty for their discovery of sonar. The hearings provide unique insights into the origins and early research of active sonar and an important snapshot of the Royal Navy’s anti-submarine warfare research in the mid-1920s. Moreover, the hearing reveals much more than the details of a major technological discovery; it is also an important case study of the relationship between inventors and governments during and after the First World War.
Comparative Study on Negative Political Advertisements with Specific Focus on Attack and Rebuttal Television Campaigns from Indian Perspective
Authors: Jayswal Mitesh M.
Published: June 2017

Nowadays, in Indian political system, it is common for the political parties to use the negative political advertisements to denigrate the opponent political party. Normally, such attacks are responded with the use of similar media either by retaliating or with putting fresh charges on the attacker. In this article, an experiment has been conducted in an Indian state ‘Gujarat’ to compare the effect of attack and rebuttal types of political television campaigns. After considering the literature pertaining to negative political advertisement, this research addresses four related issues. The first and second objectives of this study are to compare the effect of attack and rebuttal type of advertisements on attitude towards advertisement and political party subsequently. The third objective is to compare attack and rebuttal type of advertisements on the basis of intrusiveness effect. The final objective is to compare impact of both types of negative advertisements on intention to vote for sponsoring political party. The results indicate that the ‘attack advertisements’ prove effective in changing the attitude of citizens and intention to vote. The results of the study have practical implications for practitioners of political advertising and consultants of political campaigns. It will help them to create a link between voters’ attitudinal responses and creation of effective campaign strategies.
Exploring the complexities of community attitudes towards women’s rugby: Multiplicity, continuity and change in Fiji’s hegemonic rugby discourse
Authors: Kanemasu Yoko , Johnson James
Published: June 2017

Negative societal pressures against women’s participation in traditionally male-dominated sports like rugby are widely acknowledged, but little empirical research has investigated community attitudes associated with such participation, especially in non-Western contexts. This article presents exploratory insights into community attitudes towards women’s rugby in Fiji with a focus on athletic young women, who do not play rugby but are physically active, and their ‘gatekeepers’ or those in positions of influence over athletic young women’s sport-related decision-making. Based on a questionnaire survey ( n = 160) and focus groups, the article identifies significant diversity, possible change, and persisting disapproval in community perceptions of women’s participation in rugby. From these findings, the article also draws some insights into the changing dynamics of women’s rugby as a site of hegemonic struggle.
Gender differences through the lens of Rio: Australian Olympic primetime coverage of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games
Authors: Xu Qingru , Billings Andrew C , Scott Olan K M , Lewis Melvin , Sharpe Stirling
Published: June 2017

This study explored gender differences within the Australian primetime broadcast of the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games. Forty-five broadcast hours from the Seven Network were examined regarding clock-time, name mentions, and descriptions divided by biological sex, finding that the Seven Network devoted nearly equal clock-time to male and female athletes, yet 14 of the top 20 most mentioned athletes (70%) were men. In terms of word-by-word descriptors, gender differences were also uncovered on many levels relating to attributions of athletic success, failure, personality, and physicality. The findings of this study suggest that—at least within an Australian sports context—gender portrayals ranged from relative equality to significant differences depending on the metric employed. Theoretical and practical implications are provided.
Entry routes into the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland training: Status versus sustainability
Authors: Gammie Elizabeth , Allison Mark , Matson Morag
Published: June 2017

Education plays a pivotal role in establishing the elite status of a profession. This article sets out to understand the role of social and political influences in the determination of entry routes to professional accounting training with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS). The article charts the development of various entry routes which converted ICAS from an Institute with few graduate entrants in the mid-1950s to an Institute with almost 100 per cent graduate entrants today.
Social Policy in Social Work PhD Programs in the United States
Authors: Lightfoot Elizabeth , Gal John , Weiss-Gal Idit
Published: June 2017

While there has been a long-standing concern about the role of policy within social work education and social work practice, most of the emphasis has been on social work education at the BSW and MSW levels. This article examines policy education at the PhD level. It first explores how policy is taught in social work PhD programs in the United States, with an emphasis on how policy theory and research methods are included. Next, it explores the nature of policy research conducted by social work PhD students in the United States by examining the policy content in their doctoral dissertations. This study finds that policy research methods and policy study theories are only taught in a minority of social work PhD programs. In addition, very few social work doctoral dissertations have a policy focus. Of those that do, over half focus on program evaluation.
Efficacy and Safety of Uninterrupted Low-Intensity Warfarin for Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation in the Elderly
Authors: Xing Yangbo , Xu Buyun , Xu Chao , Peng Fang , Yang Biao , Qiu Yufang , Sun Yong , Wang Shengkai , Guo Hangyuan
Published: June 2017

Background: No previous studies exist investigating the optimal intensity of uninterrupted anticoagulation with warfarin during radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) in the elderly. Objective: Evaluate the efficacy and safety of continuous low-intensity warfarin therapy throughout the periprocedural period of RFCA for AF in the elderly. Methods: This is a prospective randomized study. We enrolled AF patients (age ≥ 70 years) who underwent first-time RFCA for AF. Enrolled patients were randomized to group A and group B. The international normalized ratios before ablation were maintained at 1.5 to 2.0 and 2.0 to 2.5 in group A and B, respectively. Primary end points were periprocedural thromboembolic complications and major bleeding. Secondary end points included periprocedural asymptomatic cerebral emboli (ACE) and minor bleeding. Results: A total of 101 patients were enrolled in our study (group A: 52; group B: 49). Baseline characteristics were well balanced between the 2 groups. Only 1 patient suffered from stroke in group B. No major bleeding events occurred in either group. The incidence of new ACE lesions was comparable between the 2 groups (11.5% vs 8.2%, P = 0.82). Minor bleeding occurred in 1 of 52 (1.9%) patients in group A and in 5 of 49 (10.2%) patients in group B ( P = 0.10). Conclusions: Uninterrupted low-intensity warfarin for RFCA of AF might be as effective as standard-intensity warfarin in preventing periprocedural thromboembolic complications and might be associated with fewer bleeding events in the elderly.
Quotas and Gender Gaps in Political Participation among Established Industrial European Democracies: Distinguishing Within- and Across-Country Effects
Authors: Beauregard Katrine
Published: June 2017

This paper proposes to investigate the influence of legislative quotas on gender differences in political participation by analyzing the within- and across-country effects of quotas. Gender quotas can signal to women that their presence in politics is welcome, leading to a subsequent increase in their involvement in political activities. This change in political behavior should not be reproduced in men; thus, when gender quotas are present, the gap between men’s and women’s participation narrows. Using the European Values Survey and data from eighteen European democracies, this paper demonstrates that this indeed occurs for some political activities when gender gaps are compared before and after the introduction of quotas within countries. This result, however, is not replicated for across-country analyses. European countries without legislative gender quotas tend to have smaller gender gaps than countries with them. This result is explained by referring to the context of the adoption of gender quotas.
Basic Values, Ideological Self-Placement, and Voting: A Cross-Cultural Study
Authors: Caprara Gian Vittorio , Vecchione Michele , Schwartz Shalom H. , Schoen Harald , Bain Paul G. , Silvester Jo , Cieciuch Jan , Pavlopoulos Vassilis , Bianchi Gabriel , Kirmanoglu Hasan , Baslevent Cem , Mamali Cătălin , Manzi Jorge , Katayama Miyuki , Posnova Tetyana , Tabernero Carmen , Torres Claudio , Verkasalo Markku , Lönnqvist Jan-Erik , Vondráková Eva , Caprara Maria Giovanna
Published: June 2017

The current study examines the contribution of left–right (or liberal–conservative) ideology to voting, as well as the extent to which basic values account for ideological orientation. Analyses were conducted in 16 countries from five continents (Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Oceania), most of which have been neglected by previous studies. Results showed that left–right (or liberal–conservative) ideology predicted voting in all countries except Ukraine. Basic values exerted a considerable effect in predicting ideology in most countries, especially in established democracies such as Australia, Finland, Italy, United Kingdom, and Germany. Pattern of relations with the whole set of 10 values revealed that the critical trade-off underlying ideology is between values concerned with tolerance and protection for the welfare of all people (universalism) versus values concerned with preserving the social order and status quo (security). A noteworthy exception was found in European postcommunist countries, where relations of values with ideology were small (Poland) or near to zero (Ukraine, Slovakia).
On the states of stress and strain adjacent to a crack in a strain-limiting viscoelastic body
Authors: Itou Hiromichi , Kovtunenko Victor A , Rajagopal Kumbakonam R
Published: May 2017

The viscoelastic Kelvin–Voigt model is considered within the context of quasi-static deformations and generalized with respect to a nonlinear constitutive response within the framework of limiting small strain. We consider a solid possessing a crack subject to stress-free faces. The corresponding class of problems for strain-limiting nonlinear viscoelastic bodies with cracks is considered within a generalized formulation stated as variational equations and inequalities. Its generalized solution, relying on the space of bounded measures, is proved rigorously with the help of an elliptic regularization and a fixed-point argument.