bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Syntax in Contact. Word Order in a Contact Variety of German Spoken in Eastern Siberia
Authors: Andersen Christiane
Published: September 2015

A large number of local German language communities, language islands (Sprachinseln), were founded in different parts of Russia between 1765 and the second half of the nineteenth century. The continuity of development in the German-speaking communities was sharply interrupted by the Second World War. As a result, the specific variety of Russlanddeutsch ‘Russian German’ (rg) is in the process of dying out. This study investigates a sample of current spoken German in Eastern Siberia using the digitalized Siberian German Corpus (sgc) at the University of Gothenburg. The investigation attempts to establish (i) which word order variants are realized specifically in clauses with the German discourse marker nun ‘well’ and its Russian counterpart nu ‘well’, and (ii) what the effect of language contact could be. The results of the analysis show a large variety of word order phenomena in the examples containing Russian nu. Verb-first orders are common in the data investigated. These variants also contain subject pro-drop. Furthermore, it is shown that a high degree of language contact is involved in these word order variants with the Russian nu. Different types of borrowing (including lexical transference) are frequent features of this contact variety.
Handschinurida nom. nov. (Collembola, Neanuridae), a substitute name for the homonym Handschinia Stach, 1949
Authors: QUEIROZ Gabriel Costa
Published: September 2015

Stach (1949) erected the genus Handschinia Stach, 1949 (Collembola, Neanuridae, Pseudachorutinae sensu Deharveng, 2004) for two Neotropical species, Pseudachorutes fluminensis Arlé, 1939 and Pseudachorutes proximus Arlé, 1939. Later, Massoud (1967) synonymised the genus with Arlesia Handschin, 1942. More recently, Queiroz & Mendonça (2014) rediagnosed Handschinia Stach, 1949 as a valid genus based on new morphological characteristics regarding the two mentioned species and also the description of Handschinia rauli Queiroz & Mendonça, 2014. It was not recognised by Queiroz & Mendonça (2014) that Ellis & Bellinger (1973) had already that Handschinia Stach, 1949 as   a junior homonym of Handschinia Lallemand, 1935, a hemipteran genus. Ellis & Bellinger (1973) refrained from creating a replacement name because Handschinia Stach, 1949 had been synonymised with Arlesia, that had priority if the synonymy was valid.
An integrative taxonomic approach to characterize Trichogramma marandobai (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)
Authors: VIEIRA JACI MENDES , QUERINO RANYSE B. , CÔNSOLI FERNANDO L. , ZUCCHI ROBERTO A.
Published: September 2015

Trichogramma is the largest genus of Trichogrammatidae, with nearly 210 species worldwide (Pinto 2006), of which 41 species occur in South America and 26 in Brazil (Zucchi et al. 2010). Trichogramma are tiny parasitoids of eggs of insects, mostly lepidopterans. Some species have been mass-reared for biological control of agricultural pests.
Description of a new Betylobraconini-like parasitoid wasp genus and species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae) from Chile
Authors: QUICKE DONALD L. J. , BUTCHER BUNTIKA A.
Published: September 2015

Gondwanocentrus gen. nov. (type species Gondwanocentrus humphriesi sp. nov.) from Chile is described and illustrated. Morphological and weak molecular evidence indicate that the new genus may be a basal member of the Betylobraconini. The molecular data analysed to assess its placement additionally draw into question the relationship between Betylobraconini and Clinocentrini. Previously, the Betylobraconini were known only from the Australasian region, Oceania and Eocene Europe (Baltic amber), thus if Gondwanocentrus gen. nov. does belong to this group it confirms the groups present day Gondwanan distribution.
Competency education offers promise and peril for students
Authors: Ritterband Vicki , Heller Rafael
Published: September 2015

Lindsay Unified School District (California) exemplifies the promise of competency education (or performance-based education, as it is called locally). Since beginning its transition to the model in 2009, discipline problems have sharply dropped, the school climate has dramatically improved (as measured by the California Healthy Kids Survey), and academic achievement has slowly, but steadily, climbed. But, even boosters of competency education worry that, if poorly implemented, competency education could turn into yet another boon for the most advantaged students, leaving everyone else further behind.
Central places or networks? Paradigms, metaphors, and spatial configurations of innovation-related service use
Authors: Shearmur Richard , Doloreux David
Published: September 2015

It has been suggested that a paradigm shift has occurred in the study of urban systems, central places being displaced by networks because the latter are better suited to currently observable processes. Cities are understood as harbouring local networks (milieu, clusters, buzz), as well as being themselves functionally specialised nodes in wider nonhierarchical networks. We test the empirical validity of this contention by analysing the geography of service use by innovators in Canada. Consistent with the results of Christaller, we find that use of local services diminishes as one moves down the urban hierarchy, and services most strongly connected with innovation—which we deem to be high-order—have the highest probability of being sourced at its summit. Our conclusions interrogate some of the assumptions that underpin local innovation networks, question whether the network approach can apprehend all aspects of urban systems, and discuss in what respect contention that there has been a paradigm shift is warranted.
Identifying children who are at risk of FASD in Peterborough: working in a community clinic without access to gold standard diagnosis
Authors: Gregory Geraldine , Reddy Venkat , Young Clare
Published: September 2015

The number of UK children seen with complex behaviour difficulties where there is a history of exposure to alcohol and/or drugs prenatally appears to be increasing at an alarming rate. Community paediatricians work with vulnerable children and also act as medical advisers to adoption panels, so they have a unique overview of the unmet needs of looked after children affected by Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This article reports on two simple audits of children seen in a community paediatric clinic setting. The first audit counted the number of children seen during a period of two-and-a-half years between April 2010 and August 2013, where there was a clear prenatal history of alcohol exposure. This audit also specifically looked at how many of these children might have Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or FASD. Seventy-two children were given such a diagnosis within the time frame. The second audit reported on children looked after and children put forward for adoption during a 12-month period from January 2013 to December 2013. It reported a history of prenatal exposure in 55 out of 160 health assessments for looked after children (34%) and in 34 out of 45 medicals for adoption (75%).
Gender, Environment and Social Transformation: A Study of Selected Villages in Himachal Pradesh
Authors: Minocha Richa
Published: September 2015

In Himachal Pradesh, 85 per cent of the female work force is in agriculture and 60 per cent of the total work force in agriculture and allied activities is female. Women are a storehouse of traditional knowledge of agriculture (cropping patterns and rotation), conservation methods, cuisines and medicinal plants. The current development scenario is changing women’s lives for the worse. The degradation of the environment and the neglect of rural household needs have a great impact on biomass-based subsistence societies, with the women bearing the brunt of such changes. This article discusses how land acquisition for industry and hydro power, the non-profitability of and loss of interest in agriculture and its consequent decline for all the above-mentioned reasons are affecting women. The article discusses why the state needs to address the displacement of women from livelihoods and also the declining social cohesion caused by reduced agriculture and reduced community feeling and increased commercialisation and penetration of the market. The article also discusses how Jan Abhiyan Sanstha (JAS) and other civil society organisations have been mobilising communities, especially women, to prevent acquisition of rich agricultural land and loss of ecology and livelihoods.
Women and Climate Change: Linking Ground Perspectives to the Global Scenario
Authors: Gupta Himangana
Published: September 2015

The 18th Conference of Parties (COP-18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at Doha in 2012 decided to enhance the participation of women in climate negotiations. The decision was immediately dubbed the ‘Doha Miracle’, although it was not the first of its kind. The decision to recognise gender equality was first taken 11 years earlier at Marrakesh in 2001, but progress has been very slow. However, giving women representation in international negotiations will make little difference in the real world where women, who as a group are the most vulnerable to climate change, have no say in decision-making, even at the community level, although they are the ones who bear the brunt of climate change and the burden of adaptation. Discussing their strengths and vulnerabilities, this article suggests ways for their inclusion in order to benefit from their perspective and expertise by making the best use of existing institutions in India.
Harassment at the Workplace, Powerlessness and Identity: Experiences of Women Civil Servants in India
Authors: Shrivastava Hemant
Published: September 2015

Women civil servants have to put up an incessant fight to assert and defend their ‘identity’ in Indian workplaces. The article discusses the perception of women civil servants based on semi-structured interviews that were audio-taped and transcribed. The discussion is situated within Indian culture that elevates woman’s status to that of a deity (Basham, 1954) but practises rampant discrimination through dowry harassment, violence within the family and harassment at workplaces. The role of women civil servants produces sharp tensions between perception and reality; as civil servants, the women attempt to reconcile men’s perceptions of women with their true identity and capabilities. The purpose of the study is to examine how this affects women’s life and work. The methodology adopted is the case study with narrative inquiry supplemented by the Listening Guide (Gilligan et al., 2003) and voice poems (Gilligan, 1993) to comprehend the views of the respondents. The analysis and findings highlight the cognitive, emotional and behavioural defences used by women civil servants. They attempt to reconcile their experience of powerlessness at the workplace with the sense of power that accrues to their socially ascribed position.
Book Review: Kannabiran Kalpana, Women and Law: Critical Feminist Perspective
Authors: Nigam Shalu
Published: September 2015

Kannabiran Kalpana, Women and Law: Critical Feminist Perspective. New Delhi: SAGE Publications, 2014. 305 pages. ₹ 995.
Experimental investigation and numerical simulation on continuous wave laser ablation of multilayer carbon fiber composite
Authors: Long Lianchun , Huang Yao , Zhang Jinfeng
Published: September 2015

Laser beam machining is one of the most widely used advanced processing techniques, which can be applied to compound materials. As a large number of photons are absorbed into the composite, the subsequent local heat storage, charring and potential delamination make the study for the effect of laser on complex materials become significant. In this paper, a carbon fiber epoxy composite laminated sheet is irradiated by continuous wave chemical oxygen iodine laser. The peak temperature of front surface, the temperature distribution of rear surface, and the appearance of ablation zone are presented. Further, based on the birth–death elements technique of finite element method, a three-dimensional model for simulating the transient temperature distribution and material removal has been developed under the same condition. The results reveal that the peak temperature of irradiated region ranges from 2800 K to 3100 K, and the center point shows a higher temperature rise rate than the surroundings in the irradiated zone. The measured data and predicted data are in a good consistency, which suggests that the numerical model is appropriate for simulating laser ablation of carbon fiber epoxy composites.
Visual representation of patriotism: a case study of Chinese national education television advertisements in Hong Kong
Authors: Kwok Brian Sze-Hang
Published: September 2015

This study analyses the ideological meanings of select visual images in Hong Kong’s national anthem TV announcements in the public interest (API) series ‘One Home and One Country’, which aimed to promote patriotism and enhance nationalism among Hong Kong people after 1997. Using semiology, the author decodes all the visual content and technical aspects of the four series that were broadcast between 2004 and 2007. Through content analysis, he examines the embedded messages by counting and analysing the frequency of the signified meanings of the visual elements, which are highly selective and depoliticised to reinforce re-sinicisation. The series intentionally displayed the visual spectacles of a modernised China, traditional values and culture, and national achievement. By minimising the presence of political elements, the Hong Kong SAR government branded and built a positive image of the People’s Republic of China and encouraged Hong Kong people to unconsciously accept their national identity and pride.
Public health nurses’ concerns in preschool-aged children’s health check-ups
Authors: Poutiainen Hannele , Hakulinen Tuovi , Laatikainen Tiina , Kettunen Tarja
Published: September 2015

The aim is to describe Finnish public health nurses’ concerns during regular health check-ups of preschool-aged children. In 2011, focus-group interviews were conducted with 12 public health nurses. The data were analysed using inductive content analysis. Public health nurses’ concerns dealt with the healthy growth and development of children and their ability to cope with difficult family situations, as well as the everyday reality of parenting. The concerns of public health nurses related to children’s health focused on their psychosocial development. Concerns also focused on the interaction between mother and baby, children’s behavioural problems and their cognitive development, parents’ mental health problems and families’ social circumstances. The everyday reality of parenting caused concern, including the lack of sufficient family time and conflicting parenting roles. Based on the available evidence, the role of public health nurses in child health care has broadened remarkably from the traditional physical follow-up of growth and development to support the well-being of the entire family. Children’s psychosocial problems and families’ difficult circumstances increasingly represent the challenges faced by public health nurses during preschool-aged children’s health check-ups. Public health nurses’ concerns revealed that, in order to respond to the needs of families, they may need to increasingly rely on multi-disciplinary cooperation with other professionals.
Solid-state mechanochemical activation of clay minerals and soluble phosphate mixtures to obtain slow-release fertilizers
Authors: Borges Roger , Brunatto Silvio F. , Leitão Alexandre A. , De Carvalho Gustavo S. G. , Wypych Fernando
Published: September 2015

This work describes the development of potential multi-element slow-release fertilizers obtained by mechanochemical activation of mixtures of kaolinite and ammonium or potassium monohydrogen phosphates. Preliminary results of talc amorphization have also been included. The methodology consists of milling the materials in a high-energy ball mill, where the influence of rotation and time of milling were investigated. The samples were characterized by XRD, FTIR, TGA/DTA, SEM and MAS-NMR. The experimental results explain the slow-release behaviour of the amorphous nanostructured materials in aqueous suspensions, especially the MASNMR spectra, which showed the changes in the chemical environment of the elements analysed. The materials displayed slow-release behaviour for phosphates probably because the aluminium ions in the mineral structure interact more thoroughly with phosphate than potassium or ammonium. Nevertheless, in general, all of the nutrients were released slowly.
Associations of arterial carbon dioxide and arterial oxygen concentrations with hospital mortality after resuscitation from cardiac arrest
Authors: Helmerhorst Hendrik J. F. , Roos-Blom Marie-José , van Westerloo David J. , Abu-Hanna Ameen , de Keizer Nicolette F. , de Jonge Evert
Published: September 2015

Introduction

Arterial concentrations of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) and oxygen (PaO2) during admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) may substantially affect organ perfusion and outcome after cardiac arrest. Our aim was to investigate the independent and synergistic effects of both parameters on hospital mortality.

Methods

This was a cohort study using data from mechanically ventilated cardiac arrest patients in the Dutch National Intensive Care Evaluation (NICE) registry between 2007 and 2012. PaCO2and PaO2levels from arterial blood gas analyses corresponding to the worst oxygenation in the first 24 h of ICU stay were retrieved for analyses. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between hospital mortality and both categorized groups and a spline-based transformation of the continuous values of PaCO2and PaO2.

Results

In total, 5,258 cardiac arrest patients admitted to 82 ICUs in the Netherlands were included. In the first 24 h of ICU admission, hypocapnia was encountered in 22 %, and hypercapnia in 35 % of included cases. Hypoxia and hyperoxia were observed in 8 % and 3 % of the patients, respectively. Both PaCO2and PaO2had an independent U-shaped relationship with hospital mortality and after adjustment for confounders, hypocapnia and hypoxia were significant predictors of hospital mortality: OR 1.37 (95 % CI 1.17–1.61) and OR 1.34 (95 % CI 1.08–1.66). A synergistic effect of concurrent derangements of PaCO2and PaO2was not observed (P = 0.75).

Conclusions

The effects of aberrant arterial carbon dioxide and arterial oxygen concentrations were independently but not synergistically associated with hospital mortality after cardiac arrest.
Erratum to: Diet, exercise or diet with exercise: comparing the effectiveness of treatment options for weight-loss and changes in fitness for adults (18–65 years old) who are overfat, or obese; systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Clark James E.
Published: September 2015

Unfortunately, the original version of this article [1] contained an error. The presentation of Fig. 2 (Fig. 1 here) contained an incorrect labelling of the x-axis. The corrected figure can be found included below.
A theoretical and physical modeling analysis of the coupling between baseline elastic properties and time-lapse changes in determining difference amplitude variation with offset
Authors: Jabbari Shahin , Wong Joe , Innanen Kristopher A.
Published: September 2015

Perturbation theory has been widely used in many applications in seismology, more recently for time-lapse problems. We have formulated a scheme for modeling linear and nonlinear elastic time-lapse difference amplitude variation with offset data. We have expressed this framework as an expansion in orders of the baseline interface properties and time-lapse changes from the time of the baseline survey to the time of the monitor survey. We have examined our formulation with the numerical data used in literature for real time-lapse data. The results indicated to the first order that our framework for time-lapse difference data is in agreement with Landrø’s linear approximation. The higher order terms represented corrections appropriate for large P- and S-wave velocities and density contrasts in the reservoir from the time of the baseline survey to the time of the monitor survey. A physical modeling data set was acquired simulating a time-lapse problem to validate our theoretical results. Plexiglas, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and phenolic slabs were used as proxy materials to simulate the cap rock and reservoir at the time of the baseline and monitor surveys, respectively. Reflected amplitudes were picked at Plexiglas-PVC and Plexiglas-phenolic interfaces and were corrected for geometric spreading, emergence angle, free surface, transmission loss, and radiation patterns. Our results indicated that higher order expansion terms, involving products of elastic time-lapse perturbation and baseline medium perturbation, matched laboratory data with significantly reduced error in comparison with linearized forms. We have concluded that in many plausible time-lapse scenarios, the increase in accuracy associated with higher order corrections that we observed enhanced the time-lapse modeling.
Cutting, Sticking, and Material Meaning in a Book of Passion Cycle Engravings
Authors: Brown Georgia E.
Published: September 2015

This essay focuses on an engraved Passion cycle originally designed by Marten de Vos in the 1580s. What makes this particular example exceptional is that parts of the black-and-white engravings have been painstakingly removed and the gaps filled with seventeenth- and eighteenth-century fabrics, creating a sumptuous mosaic of color. Thus augmented and annotated, the cycle records and provokes intense intellectual, emotional, and physical responses which evoke the rituals of late medieval devotion. At the same time, the cycle is the product of an international print industry and combines the mass-produced with the handmade. The cutting and sticking in this volume create a palimpsest of times, places, bibliographical traditions, and interpretive practices. These engravings vibrantly enhanced with fabric challenge divisions set up between disciplines and the bases of scholarly value judgments, as they focus attention on the materiality of meaning, offering an unexpected perspective on the way books are consumed, defined, and catalogued.
Collage, Architectural Inscription, and the Aesthetics of Iconoclasm in Jacques Perret's Des fortifications et artifices (1601)
Authors: Ng Morgan
Published: September 2015

Taking the case of a late Renaissance treatise on Huguenot architecture, this essay explores the potentials of collage as an expression of confessional contestation in the wake of the French Wars of Religion. The book's hybrid imagery bears a formal language of cutting, removal, and addition, which evokes the confessional violence that precipitated in this period at the scale of the built environment. Illustrated plates depict open-plan temples with their ceilings and floors cut away, as if to reenact pictorially the dismantling of rood screens and liturgical furnishings in Catholic churches during episodes of iconoclastic purification. The same pages feature Calvinist Psalms and pious sayings that were once chanted and sung by French Protestants, as well as inscribed and layered in abundance on the walls of their churches and homes. In this mixed verbal-visual form, the medium of early modern collage was operative in a plurality of sensory registers and at disparate physical scales.
Little Clippings: Cutting and Pasting Bibles in the 1630s
Authors: Smyth Adam
Published: September 2015

This article explores the production of Gospel harmonies at Little Gidding in the 1630s. By drawing on rarely examined archival letters, documents, and drafts contained in the Ferrar Papers at Magdalene College, Cambridge, the article examines the production processes behind the biblical harmonies, and in particular the cutting up of text and images and the remnant tatters and drafts left behind as the finished Gospel harmonies that have previously preoccupied critics. Little Gidding emerges as a more vibrant, dynamic, and wordly place than previous accounts have suggested: a kind of noisy textual factory.
Environment-induced Sequential Interconversion of Amphoteric β-1,3-Glucans/Polythiophene Complexes: A Unique System Applicable to a Naked-eye Detectable Fluorogenic pH Probe
Authors: Tamaru Shun-ichi , Hori Kaori , Shinkai Seiji
Published: September 2015

The amphoteric curdlan and a cationic polythiophene can form two distinct complexes as a function of medium pH. On the basis of such an environment-induced sequential interconversion of the amphoteric curdlan/polythiophene complex, we have successfully demonstrated the application of the complex as a naked-eye-detectable multicolor fluorogenic pH probe.
Biomembrane-embedded Catalysts for Membrane-associated Protein Labeling on Red Blood Cells
Authors: Yasueda Yuki , Tamura Tomonori , Kuwara Keiko , Takaoka Yousuke , Hamachi Itaru
Published: September 2015

Membrane proteins play crucial roles in fundamental biological processes. Here, we propose a new chemical strategy to label and characterize membrane proteins on cell surface. In this study, 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) is embedded and concentrated on plasma membrane surface (biomembrane-embedded DMAP: BeD), allowing to selectively modify membrane proteins with synthetic probes such as a fluorophore and an affinity tag. We applied this strategy to human red blood cells, which demonstrated that membrane proteins such as PAS-1 and Band-3 were selectively labeled.
Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of One-dimensional α-Fe2O3 Nanorods
Authors: Wang Chao , Huang Zhixiong
Published: September 2015

1D α-Fe2O3 nanorods are successfully fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method. The 1D α-Fe2O3 nanorods, evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B, exhibit remarkably enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity as compared to α-Fe2O3 irregular nanoparticles, due to enhanced light absorption and larger surface area.
Political Parties and Labor-Market Outcomes: Evidence from US States
Authors: Beland Louis-Philippe
Published: September 2015

This paper estimates the causal impact of the party allegiance (Republican or Democratic) of US governors on labor-market outcomes. I match gubernatorial elections with March Current Population Survey (CPS) data for income years 1977 to 2008. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that Democratic governors cause an increase in the annual hours worked by blacks relative to whites, which leads to a reduction in the racial earnings gap between black and white workers. The results are consistent and robust to using a wide range of models, controls, and specifications. (JEL D72, J15, J22, J31, R23)
Trade Liberalization and Markup Dispersion: Evidence from China's WTO Accession
Authors: Lu Yi , Yu Linhui
Published: September 2015

In this paper, we empirically investigate whether trade liberalization affects markup dispersion, a potential source of resource misallocation. The identification uses China's WTO accession at the end of 2001. We show that trade liberalization reduces markup dispersion within a narrowly defined industry. We also examine both price and cost responses to trade liberalization, as well as heterogeneous effects across firms and across locations. Our study contributes to the literature by identifying another potential channel through which free trade benefits a nation. (JEL F13, L11, O14, O19, P23, P31, P33)
iCTNet2: integrating heterogeneous biological interactions to understand complex traits
Authors: Wang Lili , Himmelstein Daniel S. , Santaniello Adam , Parvin Mousavi , Baranzini Sergio E.
Published: September 2015

iCTNet (integrated Complex Traits Networks) version 2 is a Cytoscape app and database that allows researchers to build heterogeneous networks by integrating a variety of biological interactions, thus offering a systems-level view of human complex traits. iCTNet2 is built from a variety of large-scale biological datasets, collected from public repositories to facilitate the building, visualization and analysis of heterogeneous biological networks in a comprehensive fashion via the Cytoscape platform. iCTNet2 is freely available at the Cytoscape app store.
Case Report: Atypical psychotic onset of type I Arnold-Chiari malformation
Authors: Di Genova Chiara , Charitos Socrates , Ba Gabriella , Viganò Caterina Adele
Published: September 2015

Introduction: We report a case of type I Arnold-Chiari malformation that is very peculiar because of its particular onset especially characterized by psychiatric symptoms. These symptoms were so prevailing that, for fifteen years, they masked the neurological aspects and the patient was treated with high doses of psychotropic drugs without any benefit. If the Arnold-Chiari malformation had been diagnosed before the development of severe hydro-syringomyelia, the patient could have underwent decompressive neurosurgery which may have improved her quality of life. 

It is worthwhile to highlight that psychotic symptoms may be caused by this congenital malformation, that typically has an aspecific onset. Therefore it’s important to consider an eventual organic etiology while challenging a resistant clinical picture with unusual presentation.

Case description: A 51-year-old woman reported neurological symptoms consisting of headaches, blurred vision, diplopia, tinnitus, vertigo and psychiatric symptoms including obsessive ideas about the fear of killing her son, auditory and visual pseudo-hallucinations. The symptoms had developed suddenly at the age of 35 years and persisted thereafter. She underwent multiple hospitalizations in psychiatric units and was treated with a variety of psychopharmacological approaches without substantial improvement. We performed a brain MRI that identified a type I Arnold-Chiari malformation. We assessed psychiatric symptoms using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV Axis I Disorders, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, and the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. A tailored psychopharmacological therapy led to a partial improvement in mood and anxiety but not in hallucinations.

Discussion: We want to highlight how important is, in everyday psychiatric clinical practice, not to focus only on psychiatric aspects but consider the patient globally, because in this case psychiatric problems were the onset presentation of a rare neurological syndrome.
The Learning Dialogue As a Tool to Educate Primary School Students (by the example of “The Basics of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics” Course)
Authors: Виноградова  , Vinogradova Natalya
Published: September 2015

The paper concerns one of the active methods to educate primary school children, namely, the learning dialogue. The features of this learning

method, considered as a higher-priority tool for teaching the Basics of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics at primary school are examined.

Ways to learn curriculum materials are described, while it is stated that application of the said ways of learning helps to enhance the role of

learning dialogue in establishing school roles as well as in shaping the students’ educational activities and encourage them to develop their

intellectual abilities and communicative skills.
Higher-Priority Goals of the Russian Language Training at Primary School: Are the Goals Achievable?
Authors: Кузнецова  , Kuznetsova Marina
Published: September 2015

The paper considers the problem of the Russian language teaching at primary school in the context of requirements, set forth by the Federal State

Educational Standard of Primary General Education (FGOS NOO) of the second generation. It is emphasized, that achievement of the priority

goals is closely related to the goal of making education more practice-oriented, which implies: more active cognitive work with linguistic units;

operating with knowledge gained; mastering the special set of modes of actions. Also described are the features of the test work on the Russian

language discipline, wherein such work is characterized as providing control over the students’ training outcomes at both the basic and the

advanced levels.
Getting Acquainted with the “E” Letter (The Literacy Lesson at the First Grade of Primary School)
Authors: Шишкалова  , Shishkalova N.
Published: September 2015

The paper describes the possible option for giving a literacy lesson on acquainting the first-graders with the E-letter of the Russian alphabet. The

lesson is structured in terms of literacy teaching technique, developed by D.B. El’konin and based on phonic analysis and efforts to develop skills

to operate with phonic models of words. Possibility to use differentiated approach in teaching grammar to first-graders is highlighted.
Simulation-Based Approximate Policy Iteration with Generalized Logistic Functions
Authors: Sauré Antoine , Patrick Jonathan , Puterman Martin L.
Published: September 2015

We present an approximate dynamic programming method based on simulation, policy iteration, a postdecision state formulation, and a logistic value function approximation. This method was developed as part of our efforts to determine whether nonlinear value function approximations could provide cost-effective policies for advance patient scheduling problems, and as a way of identifying the main advantages and disadvantages of using simulation versus linear programming to approximately solve dynamic capacity allocation problems. We first apply the proposed method to a queueing problem and then study a more practical application based on an advance multipriority patient scheduling problem. We investigate the quality and practical implications of the resulting appointment scheduling policies using simulation, and compare their performance to that of four other policies. Patient scheduling policies obtained by the new method not only depend on the number of appointments already booked on each day but also on the overall system workload. In particular, these policies provide lower discounted cost values and shorter average wait times for higher priority patients than policies directly obtained using linear programming and an affine value function approximation in the predecision state variables.
Dynamic Valuation of Delinquent Credit-Card Accounts
Authors: Chehrazi Naveed , Weber Thomas A.
Published: September 2015

This paper introduces a dynamic model of the stochastic repayment behavior exhibited by delinquent credit-card accounts. Based on this model, we construct a dynamic collectability score (DCS) that estimates the account-specific probability of collecting a given portion of the outstanding debt over any given time horizon. The model integrates a variety of information sources, including historical repayment data, account-specific, and time-varying macroeconomic covariates, as well as scheduled account-treatment actions. Two model-identification methods are examined, based on maximum-likelihood estimation and the generalized method of moments. The latter allows for an operational-statistics approach, combining model estimation and performance optimization by tailoring the estimation error to business-relevant loss functions. The DCS framework is applied to a large set of account-level repayment data. The improvements in classification and prediction performance compared to standard bank-internal scoring methods are found to be significant.

This paper was accepted by Noah Gans, stochastic models and simulation.
Proactive Customer Education, Customer Retention, and Demand for Technology Support: Evidence from a Field Experiment
Authors: Retana German F. , Forman Chris , Wu D. J.
Published: September 2015

Do service provider efforts to educate customers influence customer outcomes? We analyze the outcome of a field experiment executed by a major public cloud infrastructure services provider in 2011. Out of 2,673 customers who adopted the service during the experiment, 366 received a service intervention: an engagement through which the provider offered initial guidance on how to use basic features of the service. Before execution, it was unclear if this proactive customer education would have positive or negative effects on customer retention and demand for technology support. We show the treatment reduces by half the number of customers who churn from the service during the first week. Further, treated customers ask 19.55% fewer questions during the first week of their tenure than the controls. Although the treatment’s effects decay within one week, we show that such proactive customer education can have significant economic benefits for the provider. In particular, we find that treated customers increase their accumulated usage of the service by 46.57% in the eight months after sign-up. Finally, we provide evidence that the effects of the treatment are strongest among customers who have less experience with the provider.
Rectus sheath catheters provide equivalent analgesia to epidurals following laparotomy for colorectal surgery
Authors: Tudor ECG , Yang W , Brown R , Mackey PM
Published: September 2015

Introduction

Rectus sheath catheters (RSCs) are increasingly being used to provide postoperative analgesia following laparotomy for colorectal surgery. Little is known about their efficacy in comparison with epidural infusion analgesia (EIA). They are potentially better as they avoid the recognised complications associated with EIA. This study compares these two methods of analgesia. Outcomes include average pain scores, time to mobilisation and length of stay.

Methods

This was a 33-month single centre observational study including all patients undergoing elective open or laparoscopic-converted-to-open colorectal resection for both benign and malignant disease. Patients received either EIA or RSCs. Data were collected prospectively and analysed retrospectively.

Results

A total of 95 patients were identified. Indications for surgery, operation and complications were recorded. The mean time to mobilisation was significantly shorter in patients who had RSCs compared with EIA patients (2.4 vs 3.5 days, p<0.05). There was no difference in postoperative pain scores or length of stay.

Conclusions

RSCs provide equivalent analgesia to EIA and avoid the recognised potential complications of EIA. They are associated with a shorter time to mobilisation. Their use should be adopted more widely.
A surgical scandal
Authors: King Michael
Published: September 2015

In the first of our articles on circumcision, a surgeon of some 40 years’ standing in Africa argues that the procedure may promote HIV infection.
Lift, shift and park
Authors: McConaghie Greg
Published: September 2015

How technology makes transport simpler and cheaper for surgeons
Monitoring media regulators’ independence – Evidence-based indicators, Hungarian experience
Authors: Polyák Gábor , Rozgonyi Krisztina
Published: September 2015

It is commonly accepted that the independence of media regulators is essential for ensuring the legitimacy of implemented policies and achieving the objectives of media regulation. However, recent literature has also pointed to the need to consider how accountability of these institutions could and should be provided in the framework of democratic governance mechanisms. In this article we identify three key areas of regulatory performance of media authorities that relate to their accountability to the subjects of regulation and the public. We present our findings in the case on Hungary assessing transparency of the regulator’s work, tendencies in access to market and sanctioning practices based on an extensive review of the regulator’s actual work and decisions. In conclusion we reflect on the function of these areas as indicators in the context of the principal-agent relationship and propose the introduction of enforceable normative criteria in European audio-visual media policy.
The role of media assistance in the establishment of public service broadcasting in Serbia
Authors: Marko Davor
Published: September 2015

This article investigates the extent to which Serbian media institutions that have been initiated and supported through media assistance programmes have actually reached a level of sustainability and functionality. Analysing the establishment and transformation of public service broadcasters in Serbia, the author discusses the main achievements, failures and challenges of media assistance programmes that aim to contribute to Serbia’s democratization. As media institutions in transition countries are often designed after similar institutions in Western European democracies, the outcomes regularly differ from the initial model. This article sheds light on the question of what happens to imported models when they are transposed onto the newly evolving media systems of transitional societies using the case of Radio-Television of Serbia.
Das Bewässerungsdispositiv
Authors: Kramm Johanna
Published: September 2015

»Bewässerung« - hinter diesem Begriff versteckt sich nicht nur der Transport von Wasser, sondern ein komplexes Gefüge von Steuerungsprozessen: Wie hat sich das Bewässerungsdispositiv in Kenia seit der Kolonialzeit verändert? Wie wirken sich Reformen im Zeichen von Partizipation und Dezentralisierung auf Steuerungs- und gesellschaftliche Aushandlungsprozesse aus? Welche neuen Konflikte brechen hiermit auf und wie werden sie gesellschaftlich balanciert? Am Beispiel von großflächigen staatlichen Bewässerungssystemen in Kenia untersucht Johanna Kramm dieses Dispositiv der gesellschaftlichen Naturverhältnisse.
Vokale Performancekunst als feministische Praxis
Authors: Kohl Marie-Anne
Published: September 2015

Als Meredith Monk 1964 im Alter von 22 Jahren nach Downtown New York kam, tauchte sie in ein sich gerade neu formierendes Netzwerk innovativer Künstler_innen ein, die die Kunst und das Kunstverständnis in den USA und darüber hinaus tiefgreifend veränderten und bis heute prägen. Die vokale Performancekunst, als deren Pionierin Monk gilt, war eine der vielzähligen Kunstformen, die hier ihren Anfang fanden. Anhand bisher größtenteils unveröffentlichten Archivmaterials stellt Marie-Anne Kohl erstmalig die Entwicklung von Monks Arbeiten dar, deren singuläres Schaffen bislang wissenschaftlich kaum untersucht wurde. Sie analysiert das künstlerische Kräftefeld Downtown und die feministische Performancekunst, die in musikwissenschaftlichen Abhandlungen zur experimentellen Musik der 1960er Jahre bislang so gut wie ignoriert wurden. Begleitende Stadtpläne bieten detailreiche Informationen über die zahllosen Räume Downtowns und visualisieren die beschriebenen künstlerischen Entwicklungen und Netzwerke.
A health education programme to enhance the knowledge and communication skills of health care workers who serve people living with HIV / AIDS on HAART in Namibia
Authors: Chipare Mwakanyadzenin Abigail , Dyk Agnes van , Amukugo Hans Justus
Published: September 2015

This paper aims at describing the findings of a health education programme that enhances the knowledge and communication skills of health-care workers who serve people living with HIV / AIDS on HAART in Namibia. Namibian health-care workers are unable to provide quality health care services to people who are living with HIV / AIDS (PLWHA) when they do not have the necessary knowledge, as well as adequate interpersonal communication and counselling skills. In a health care facility system, all patients either come from the community, or are referred from the wards or other departments by health-care workers. The health care worker as a sender conveys information (messages), and a patient (receiver) is expected to comprehend these messages and to respond by giving feedback to the sender who, in turn, provides feedback until the communication process is completed. The process should take place in a conducive environment without any interference, such as noise, to allow the swift completion of the communication process. The messages that both parties convey should be clear, accurate, coherent, and concise. This article covered the following: background, methods, ethical measures, results (participants’ responses) conclusions and recommendations.
Prevalence of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in Adult Population of Selected Regions of the Czech Republic. Relation to Eating Habits and Smoking
Authors: Vosátková Michala , Čeřovská J. , Zamrazilová H. , Hoskovcová P. , Dvořáková M. , Zamrazil V.
Published: September 2015

Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is around 25% in Europe but its occurrence grows in both genders with increasing age and weight. Lifestyle factors may contribute to the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between metabolic syndrome and eating habits as well as length of sleep and smoking. Participants (519 women and 286 men aged 18–65 years) were chosen by random selection and questioned about their eating habits, sleep length and smoking. This information was combined with anthropometric and clinical parameters of metabolic syndrome. The female group was divided into two subgroups depending on climacteric stage (before and after menopause). Metabolic syndrome prevalence does not differ between regions in neither female (29.9%) nor male (32.5%) group. Body mass index ≥25 was detected in 50.4% of all women and 65.7% of men; 23.5% of all women and 21.7% men had body mass index ≥30. In conclusion, metabolic syndrome prevalence was proved to depend on eating habits and family heredity. Positive correlation between the above mentioned factors demonstrated itself in the total sample but not in individual regions. Metabolic syndrome prevalence in Czech adults is comparable with neighbouring countries. No significant interregional differences in metabolic syndrome prevalence within the Czech Republic were detected. In conclusion, relationship between eating habits and metabolic syndrome was confirmed.
Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Kidney with Massive Retroperitoneal Recurrence. A Case Presentation
Authors: Sfoungaristos Stavros , Papatheodorou M. , Kavouras A. , Perimenis P.
Published: September 2015

Solitary fibrous tumor is an unusual spindle cell neoplasm that usually occurs in the pleura but has also been described in other sites. Renal presentation is rare and only 38 cases of SFT of the kidney have been described until now. Up to 90% of the tumors have benign characteristics. Local retroperitoneal recurrence is extremely rare. We report a case of a large malignant solitary fibrous tumor recurrence after the surgical excision of the primary tumor. Histological examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis by revealing highly positive reaction of the neoplasmatic cells for vimentin, CD34, bcl-2 and moderately positive for actin. The rate of Ki67 lied between 2–7%. No adjuvant therapy was given to the patient and he is disease-free with no imaging findings of recurrence or metastasis 9 months after the re-operation.
Remark on meromorphic functions sharing five pairs
Authors: Steinmetz Norbert
Published: September 2015

We determine all pairs (