bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attitudes of Primary Care Physicians Toward Sickle Cell Disease Care, Guidelines, and Comanaging Hydroxyurea With a Specialist
Authors: Lunyera Joseph , Jonassaint Charles , Jonassaint Jude , Shah Nirmish
Published: August 2016

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a complex chronic disease requiring multidisciplinary care that involves primary care physicians (PCPs) working with a hematologist or SCD specialists. However, PCPs often lack access to SCD specialists and are unaware of SCD guidelines or efficacious treatment. Methods: We partnered with Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) to identify assigned PCPs for SCD patients with Medicaid across North Carolina. CCNC network administrators distributed a web-based questionnaire for completion. The questionnaire involved 12 self-reported items on a yes-no or a 1 to 5 Likert-type scale that assessed PCP attitudes toward SCD care, awareness of recent guidelines, and comanaging hydroxyurea. Results: Of the 53 PCPs who completed the electronic survey, 73% felt they were comfortable with the number of SCD patients in their practice. Most PCPs reported having infrequent communications with an SCD specialist (67%) and most were also not aware of the 2014 SCD guidelines (66%). Many reported that they would frequently use the new SCD guidelines if provided to them (76%). Furthermore, 51% of PCPs expressed comfort with using mobile apps to access SCD guidelines and provided email contact to receive further information. The majority also reported being comfortable comanaging hydroxyurea with an SCD specialist (65%). Conclusion: Few PCPs in North Carolina were aware of the new SCD guidelines or had regular communication with an SCD specialist. The majority of PCPs, however, demonstrated a favorable attitude toward receiving the SCD guidelines and comanaging hydroxyurea with a specialist. In response to this gap in care, we have developed a mobile-based SCD toolbox specifically for PCPs to provide guidelines, algorithms, and a method to communicate with local SCD specialists. With the interest in receiving these guidelines, we are confident the toolbox will provide an easy to use platform to assist PCPs to utilize the SCD guidelines.
The Vicissitudes of Positive Autobiographical Recollection as an Emotion Regulation Strategy in Depression
Authors: Werner-Seidler Aliza , Tan Laura , Dalgleish Tim
Published: August 2016

Recalling positive autobiographical memories is a powerful way to regulate emotion and repair low mood. However, depressed individuals often derive limited emotional benefit from such positive recollection. To identify the conditions under which positive memory recall is emotionally beneficial, we investigated whether memories perceived as discrepant from one’s current sense of self have a differential impact on low mood compared to memories perceived as concordant with the current self. Depressed participants ( n = 39) recalled either a self-concordant or self-discrepant positive memory to alleviate sad mood and reported reduced sadness only when the memory was concordant with, but not discrepant from, their current sense of self. In contrast, never-depressed participants ( n = 40) experienced mood improvement regardless of the type of memory recalled. These results suggest that the degree to which depressed individuals can identify with the self from a past positive event is an important determinate of the emotional consequences that follow.
The immunotherapy era of myeloma: monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and adoptive T-cell therapies
Authors: Hoyos Valentina , Borrello Ivan
Published: August 2016

The treatment of multiple myeloma has evolved significantly over the last decades from primarily alkylator-based chemotherapeutic agents with minimal efficacy to the introduction of more effective agents including immune modulators and proteasome inhibitors, which have changed the landscape of therapy for this disease. We are now entering a new era that will increasingly integrate immunotherapy into standard treatment. This review discusses the current immune-based strategies currently approved, as well as various immune approaches being actively investigated including monoclonal antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, vaccines, and adoptive T-cell therapies.
Ultrasound Identification of the Guidewire in the Brachiocephalic Vein for the Prevention of Inadvertent Arterial Catheterization During Internal Jugular Central Venous Catheter Placement
Authors: Bowdle Andrew , Jelacic Srdjan , Togashi Kei , Ferreira Renata
Published: August 2016

BACKGROUND:

Imaging the guidewire with ultrasonography in the internal jugular vein during central venous catheterization often is used to verify proper guidewire placement and to aid in prevention of inadvertent arterial catheterization. It is known, however, that inadvertent arterial catheterization can occur despite imaging the guidewire in the internal jugular vein because the guidewire may continue through the far wall of the internal jugular vein and into an adjacent artery. We propose confirmation of the guidewire in the brachiocephalic vein with ultrasonography as a more reliable method of confirming proper guidewire placement.

METHODS:

A prospective feasibility study of 200 adult cardiothoracic surgery patients undergoing internal jugular vein catheterization was performed to determine whether the guidewire could be imaged with ultrasonography in the brachiocephalic vein. The guidewire was imaged in the internal jugular vein in a short-axis view, and the transducer was then angled caudally under the clavicle, following the guidewire into the brachiocephalic vein.

RESULTS:

The right internal jugular vein was catheterized in 193 patients and the left internal jugular in 7 patients. The brachiocephalic vein was successfully imaged in all but 2 patients. In 3 patients, the guidewire could not be clearly identified in the brachiocephalic vein because of interference from the leads of a heart rhythm device (pacemaker or defibrillator) or preexisting catheter. In 2 patients, the guidewire was not seen initially in the brachiocephalic vein because of coiling in the internal jugular vein, and in 1 patient because of the guidewire passing into the right subclavian vein, but all 3 were subsequently imaged in the brachiocephalic vein after repositioning.

CONCLUSIONS:

During internal jugular vein catheterization, the brachiocephalic vein was imaged with ultrasonography in 99% of patients (the lower 1-sided 99% confidence limit is 96%). The guidewire was imaged in the brachiocephalic vein in all cases except when leads from a heart rhythm device caused interference, although in some patients with leads, the guidewire could be imaged without difficulty. The absence of the guidewire from the brachiocephalic vein was indicative of a malpositioned guidewire.
Carotid Endarterectomy in Patients With Thrombocytopenia: Analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Registry
Authors: Qureshi Adnan I. , Zafar Aiman , Miran Muhammad Shah , Jani Vishal B.
Published: August 2016

BACKGROUND: Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is infrequently performed in patients with mild to moderate thrombocytopenia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether preoperative thrombocytopenia is associated with a higher rate of complications after CEA.

METHODS: We analyzed patient characteristics, comorbid conditions, operative details, and 30-day postoperative outcomes for patients who underwent CEA in the CEA-targeted American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Registry. Thrombocytopenia was defined based on the preprocedure platelet count of ≤150  000 platelets/μL. The odds ratios (ORs) for selected outcomes were calculated using logistic regression with stepwise forward selection with age, sex, symptomatic status, and high-risk individuals as potential confounders.

RESULTS: Thrombocytopenia was present in 896 of 8658 patients (10.3%) who underwent CEA: mild (100 000-149 000 platelets/μL) and moderate (50 000-99 000 platelets/μL) in 805 patients (89.8%) and 91 patients (10.2%), respectively. The adjusted rates of myocardial infarction/arrhythmia (3.7% vs 1.8%; OR: 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3-2.8; P = .001), unplanned intubations (2.6% vs 1.2%; OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.4-3.5; P = .001), ventilator requirement >48 hours (1.5% vs 0.7%; OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1-3.8; P = .02), deep venous thrombosis/thrombophlebitis (0.7% vs 0.2%; OR: 3.7; 95% CI: 1.4-9.7; P = .01), and surgical deep incisional infections (0.3% vs 0.1%; OR: 4.3; 95% CI: 1.1-17.4; P = .04) post-CEA were higher among patients with thrombocytopenia compared with those without thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia did not significantly contribute to 1-month mortality or stroke.

CONCLUSION: The higher rate of postprocedure complications in patients with preoperative thrombocytopenia needs to be recognized for adequate risk stratification before CEA.
Influence of meteorological storms on ionospheric parameters in the Baltic region in 2010
Authors: Карпов Иван , Karpov Ivan , Борчевкина Ольга , Borchevkina Olga , Дадашев Руслан , Dadashev Ruslan , Ильминская Александра , Ilminskaya Aleksandra
Published: August 2016

The paper presents observations of atmospheric and ionospheric parameters during strong meteorological disturbances (storms) in the Kaliningrad region. The critical frequency of the F2 layer (foF2) and the total electron content (TEC) were observed at the station Kaliningrad (20 °E, 54.20 °N). Atmospheric pressure and wind were taken to be the atmospheric parameters under study. The analysis of ionospheric observations has shown that during meteorological storms the amplitude of diurnal variations in TEC decreases to 50 %; and in foF2, to 15 % as compared to quiet days. The revealed changes in ionospheric conditions during meteorological storms are regularly registered and represent a characteristic feature of the meteorological effect on the ionosphere.
Developing understanding of challenging behaviour through masterclasses
Authors: Hopes Paula
Published: August 2016

This article provides insight into the development of a three-hour masterclass for support workers in care homes across Durham and Darlington. The aim of the masterclass was to give practical understanding of—and approaches to—the management of challenging behaviour.

A variety of teaching approaches was used to support learning and development. Feedback from support workers was collected and is discussed, along with implications for practice. This paper is structured in line with the layout of the session.
Cinema–in–the–round: Doug Aitken’s SONG 1 (2012), the Hirshhorn Museum and the pleasures of cinematic projection
Authors: Dell’Aria Annie
Published: August 2016

In the spring of 2012, eleven projectors transformed Washington, DC’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden into a nocturnal cinematic spectacle: Doug Aitken’s SONG 1, a 360° cinematic homage to the great pop standard ‘I Only Have Eyes for You’. To experience SONG 1 was to be entranced and seduced by its high production values, rich soundscape and (most importantly) its monumental scale. This cinematic revelling in the image, I argue, is one that operates on registers between the work’s status as film, public art and major museum event to create an active viewer engagement. This article analyses SONG 1 in terms of its institutional setting, its imagery and mode of installation. Using Roland Barthes’s reflections on the in-between state of leaving a movie theatre, I argue that SONG 1 illustrates a mode of public art that uses the moving image’s visual attraction to create positive encounters with art in public spaces.
Developing a Mobile Application to Learn Korean for Children with Hearing Impairment
Authors: Hwang Geon-Woo , So Hyo-Jeong ,   Korean Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Published: August 2016

Background and Objectives: This study presents a case of developing a mobile application that children with hearing impairment can learn both the Korean language and the sign language. Method: Specifically, this study focuses on how a mobile application can be developed following the methods underlying the human-centered design (HCD) philosophy, which values the process of developing solutions with deep consideration of desirability, feasibility and viability. The case study is presented through the three phases of HCD: Hear, Create, and Deliver. The mobile application developed in this study provides several functions where children with hearing impairment and hearing children of deaf adults can learn both the Korean language and the sign language through auditory and visual channels. Conclusion: We discuss the implications of this case study from human-centered design methods, which emphasize the criticality of having empathy with AAC users’ life experiences and identifying fundamental needs of AAC users from the very beginning of the development process.
A Study on Usability Test of the Authoring Tools Software for AAC
Authors: Kim Jeongyoun ,   Korean Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Published: August 2016

Background and Objectives: This study was performed to identify the communication disorders' requirement to improve the utilization of the AAC software and supplement of the high-quality AAC software to develop for user convenience. The paper is about performing a usability test in the aspect of user interface on available authoring tools for AAC in Korean. Method: For these purposes, 30 specialist of special educations who assisted ten users of AAC software with disabilities participated in a program. Treatment was implemented 4 weeks. To collect data, survey and individual interviews were conducted. Results: The results of this study were as follows: First, the usage experience of My TalkieBoard appears to be less then 6 months. And the level of satisfaction is 4.03, which is high. Second, It is shown that symbols and vocabularies should be improved to increase the usabilities. Third, using My TalkieBoard in the field of special education positively affects not only communication ability, but also teaching-learning activity and community participation. Conclusion: Based on these results, in order to increase the utilizability and efficiency of the AAC software in the field of special education, the further study on ways to increase the efficiency of the AAC system based on continued usability evaluation should be continued.
“High Quality Securitisation and EU Capital Markets Union – Is it Possible?”
Authors: Bavoso Vincenzo
Published: August 2016

The resurrection of the securitisation market lies at the heart of the recent EU project to build a pan-European capital markets union (CMU). This is in line with the existing policy goal to expand market-based, disintermediated financing channels, which has been ongoing since the 1980s. Initial efforts to restart the moribund securitisation market in Europe have been carried out through a number of public consultations which have more recently converged towards the Commission’s proposal for a Regulation laying down the rules to create a European framework for Simple, Transparent and Standardised (STS) securitisation. This article provides a critical perspective on the EU project to create a capital market union and in particular on the proposed framework for STS securitisation. The critique is firstly centred on the problematic coordination of the different policy objectives, which emerged from the consultations’ responses. Secondly, it points to four specific areas of concern, namely, the difficulty to define securitisation for the purpose of the regulation, the dangers of linkages with the shadow banking system, the unresolved reliance on external ratings, and the question of STS supervision. It is argued in this article that the persistence of these problems in the current design leads to questioning whether a revived securitisation market would still fuel the shadow banking system and create systemic risks. It is pointed out that the difficulty to regulate complex legal relationships typical of long intermediation chains – such as tranched securitisation – makes the proposed framework still weak. This article submits that only a tighter approach to transaction standardisation could ensure the simplicity and transparency that the Commission is hoping to achieve. Equally, a supervisory infrastructure centred on the overseeing power of a pan-European authority is needed to prevent pre-crisis legal problems from recurring.
Whither the Concept of Income?
Authors: Saito Shizuki , Fukui Yoshitaka
Published: August 2016

Since the 1970s, the decision-usefulness has taken center stage and our attention has been concentrated on valuation of assets and liabilities instead of income measurement. The concept of income, once considered the gravitational center of accounting has lost its primacy and become a byproduct of the balance sheet derived from the measurement of assets and liabilities. However, we have not been equipped with robust conceptual foundation supporting theoretically reasoned accounting measurement. It is not only theoretically but also practically important to renew our seemingly waned interest in the concept of income because ongoing reforms of accounting standards cannot be successfully implemented without a sound understanding of the concept of income.
The Mathematical Modeling and Investigation of the Stress-Strain State of the Three-Layer Thermosensitive Hollow Cylinder
Authors: Rakocha Iryna , Popovych Vasyl
Published: August 2016

Stationary temperature distribution in a three-layer infinite hollow cylinder based on the thermosensitive body model was determined. The cylinder is subjected to the steady temperature on the inner surface and on the outer one is present the convective heat exchange. In the second layer exist heat sources with parabolic dependence on radial coordinate. The components of the thermostressed state have been found. The influence of the temperature dependence of the thermal and mechanical components characteristics of materials on the temperature distribution has been investigated.
Analysis of radiative heat transfer impact in cross-flow tube and fin heat exchangers
Authors: Hanuszkiewicz-Drapała Małgorzata , Bury Tomasz , Widziewicz Katarzyna
Published: August 2016

A cross-flow, tube and fin heat exchanger of the water – air type is the subject of the analysis. The analysis had experimental and computational form and was aimed for evaluation of radiative heat transfer impact on the heat exchanger performance. The main element of the test facility was an enlarged recurrent segment of the heat exchanger under consideration. The main results of measurements are heat transfer rates, as well as temperature distributions on the surface of the first fin obtained by using the infrared camera. The experimental results have been next compared to computational ones coming from a numerical model of the test station. The model has been elaborated using computational fluid dynamics software. The computations have been accomplished for two cases: without radiative heat transfer and taking this phenomenon into account. Evaluation of the radiative heat transfer impact in considered system has been done by comparing all the received results.
Senior tourists’ preferences in the developing countries – measuring perceptions of Serbian potential senior market
Authors: Spasojević Bojana , Božić Sanja
Published: August 2016

Senior leisure travel became a significant part of the global tourism market, and developing countries with lower GNP, such as South-East European countries, are also part of this trend. The principal aim of the paper was to explore the senior tourists’ preferences (choice of destination, transport, and accommodation), their travel motivation, and travel limitations of this fast-growing market with immense potential in this country. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 320 senior tourists in the five biggest cities of Serbia. The results indicate spa and mountain centres as preferable travel destinations among the potential senior tourists in Serbia, while the major factors for choosing a destination showed to be travel costs, climate conditions, and destination proximity. The research findings also showed that the principal travel motives are rest and relaxation and health improvement, and in connection to this, the most preferable activities on the destination are engagement in spa and medical treatments and spending time in unspoiled nature. Moreover, the study indicates financial difficulties and health concerns as the major travel barriers of potential senior market in Serbia. The research findings can be used as a framework for all tourism stakeholders involved in tailoring a specific tourism product for Serbian senior travel market.
Consumer profile of Portuguese local food restaurants
Authors: Siopa Cátia , Lopes Sofia , Ferreira Cátia , López Pedro
Published: August 2016

This study focusing on local food restaurants aims to evaluate the variables that influence consumers’ restaurant selection, and the most important variables that need to be addressed by those establishment managers. With this assessment it will be possible to structure different strategies which enterprises can resort to in order to obtain management advantages.

A management model based on selection variables and how restaurants can influence the choice process is proposed in this article. Therefore, it is possible to maximise profit and the number of customers, to increase service quality, to create new services and dishes, to define strategic promotion plans, and to produce effective corrective measures.
Cyber Security and Tourism Competitiveness
Authors: Magliulo Antonio
Published: August 2016

Until a few years ago, markets were basically physical spaces, more or less large, where sellers and buyers could meet. The exchanges happened through physical contacts at the local as well as the international level. Security meant, basically, to protect people against tangible threats (frauds, thefts etc.). Nowadays, we are facing a new challenge. Markets are mainly becoming a cyberspace where sellers, dealers and buyers can meet without the need for physical contact. Security also has to mean protecting people against cyber threats (internet frauds, identity thefts etc.). In this paper, we would like to deal with an issue that, maybe, has not attracted much attention from scholars, that is, the importance of cyber security for the development of tourism destinations.
Immune status of representative infectious diseases among Japanese female university students
Authors: Katsuyama Misaki , Koike Yuji , Hirohara Toshie , Kogawa Kazuhiro
Published: August 2016

Objective:

To elucidate the immune status of representative infectious diseases among Japanese youth, we retrospectively investigated serum antibody levels in university students, partly comparing these to immunization records and infectious disease histories confirmed by the maternal and child health (MCH) handbooks.

Materials and methods:

In total, 168 Japanese female university students, aged 20–21 years, were included. Data were collected from examinations of antibody titers against measles, rubella, varicella-zoster (VZ), mumps, and hepatitis B (HB) and C (HC) viruses, and from QuantiFERON®-TB Gold tests, between 2011 and 2015. Records of immunization and infectious disease histories were available from MCH handbooks for students who agreed with the use of their data for this study (n=23).

Results:

All students had positive antibodies, detected by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), against measles, rubella, VZ, and mumps; however, seroprevalences within the range of seroprotective antibody levels were 38.1% (64/168), 67.9% (114/168), 95.9% (141/147), and 89.8% (132/147), respectively. The students had probably not been infected with HB, HC, or tuberculosis at the time of the examinations.

Discussion:

The study indicated that a two-dose vaccine for measles and rubella (MR) might not be sufficient to produce antibodies at seroprotective levels. Therefore, we propose that health care workers, including students, should receive an additional MR vaccine, even if they have received two doses of MR vaccine or if they have unknown histories of immunizations or infectious diseases. Further investigations in these areas will be needed.
From oliguria to urinary incontinence: a case of Munchausen’s syndrome in an adolescent boy
Authors: Marzuillo Pierluigi , Marotta Rosaria , Apicella Andrea , Guarino Stefano , Esposito Tiziana , Della Vecchia Nicoletta , Diplomatico Mario , Polito Cesare , Perrone Laura , La Manna Angela
Published: August 2016

Factitious disorders are characterized by physical or psychological symptoms that are intentionally produced or feigned in order to assume the sick role. “Munchausen’s syndrome” is one of these disorders and often is under-recognized or only suspected after unnecessary investigations. We report the case of a 15-year-old boy who came to our notice because of reduced urine output and recurrent abdominal pain during the previous 3 months. The patient attended several emergency room visits and he had been hospitalized for 1 month in an adult internal medicine department because of “oliguria”. He had undergone several invasive investigations with normal results before the diagnosis of Munchausen’s syndrome was made. General pediatricians and practitioners should be aware that suspecting Munchausen’s syndrome in the first instance in the management of a patient showing discrepancies between reported urinary symptoms and the detectable clinical signs could avoid unnecessary and invasive exams.
Who is teaching the kids to cook? Results from a nationally representative survey of secondary school students in New Zealand
Authors: Utter Jennifer , Denny Simon , Lucassen Mathijs , Dyson Ben
Published: August 2016

Learning how to cook is an important skill for developing healthy eating behaviors. Moreover, involvement in home cooking may offer young people opportunities for skill building, identity development and social engagement with their families. Recently, there have been concerns that the current generation of young people may not have the opportunities to develop sufficient cooking skills. These concerns have been addressed by the initiation of numerous, localized interventions. Yet, little is known about where the current generation of young people learn cooking skills. The objective of this study was to describe where the current generation of young people report learning to cook, drawing on nationally representative data from New Zealand. Data were collected as part of Youth2012, a nationally representative survey of secondary school students (n=8500) in New Zealand. Almost all students reported learning to cook and from multiple sources. Almost all students reported learning to cook from a family member (mother, father, or other family member), approximately 60% of students reported that they learned to cook from certain media (cookbooks, TV, or the Internet) and half of all students reported learning to cook at school. There were numerous differences in where students learned to cook by socio-demographic characteristics. Findings from the current research highlight the important role that families play in teaching young people to cook and will be useful for those working with young people to develop these skills.
Dynamic Effectiveness Factor for Catalytic Particles with Anomalous Diffusion
Authors: Martinez-Martinez Filiberto , Rivera Victor M. , Morales-Cabrera Miguel A. , Hernandez-Martinez Eliseo
Published: August 2016

The effectiveness factor (EF) is a useful tool for the study of heterogeneous reaction systems, such as catalytic particles, where interactions of reaction-diffusion processes are involved. For simplicity, the study of EF is achieved on steady state operation (SSEF), but recent studies have suggested that EF can increase on dynamic operation conditions, especially when diffusive transport does not follow the Fick’s law. In this paper, a study about the effect of anomalous diffusion on the dynamic effectiveness factor (DEF) in catalytic particles is presented. For this, it is considered a generalized Cattaneo-type diffusion model described by differential equations of fractional order applied at rectangular, cylindrical and spherical geometries of the catalytic particles, which is analyzed in the frequency space by means the Fourier transform method. Numerical results, based on Bode and Nyquist diagrams, show the conditions and regions where the DEF values are largest than SSEF.
The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) in autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Salayev Kamran Ali , Sanne Bjarte
Published: August 2016

Objective:

To investigate the effectiveness of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) in the screening for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and to find optimal scoring methods.

Methods:

The SDQ were given to parents of 4–12-year-old children with ASD (n=67), internalizing (n=49), externalizing disorders (n=87), and to a community sample (n=114). The total difficulties score and five subscales scores were compared between the four groups. Two additional scoring methods were calculated: prosocial behavior score minus peer relation problems score and sum of prosocial behavior score and emotional symptoms score. Receiving operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to find an effective way of screening for ASD.

Results:

All five subscales of the SDQ differed significantly between the ASD and the community samples. Only prosocial behavior and emotional symptoms subscales scores in the ASD group differed significantly from both internalizing and externalizing disorders groups (p<0.001). The total difficulties score reliably differentiated the ASD group from the community sample, but not from children with psychiatric disorders. Additional scoring methods’ problems showed the best area under the curve (AUC) in ROC analysis.

Conclusion:

The SDQ discriminates those with ASD well from other children with and without psychiatric disorders. Applying of additional algorithms is more effective rather than using the total difficulties or subscales scores alone.
A brave new world: considering the pedagogic potential of Virtual World Field Trips (VWFTs) in initial teacher education
Authors: Fitzsimons Sabrina , Farren Margaret
Published: August 2016

In its broadest and historical sense, place-based education refers to education that occurs outside of the physical boundaries of a school building (Dewey 1910; Sobel 1996; Theobald 1997; Woodhouse and Knapp 2000). Place-based education, colloquially referred to as the ‘field trip’, is predominantly considered a pedagogic tool of the sciences. It involves a physical movement from the school-based location to a place of interest, for example, a geography field trip to an ecological landscape or science visit to a local museum. This paper considers the use of virtual world field trips (VWFTs) within the context of a pre-service Teacher Education programme. The paper presents data from one undergraduate module offered on a programme of initial teacher education. The paper identifies three significant elements of virtual world field trips: place, people and content. First, the virtual world can provide access to places not possible in the offline context as a result of geographic, economic or religious factors. Second, exposure to and dialogue with a variety of world views can challenge students’ assumptions, facilitate reflection and provide an opportunity for oneto-one teaching encounters. Third, from a teacher educator perspective, engagement in virtual world field trips can provide a space for teachers to model teaching methodologies and model creative learning techniques, thus providing student teachers with an insight into different approaches to teaching.
The role of subjectivity in teacher expertise development: Mindfully embracing the “black sheep” of educational research
Authors: Inoue Noriyuki
Published: August 2016

In Western cultures, subjectivity has often been seen as the “black sheep” of educational research because of its heavy emphasis on objectivity. Consequently many research initiatives in education share the assumption that objective reasoning should play a central role. However, mentoring teachers’ practice improvement research often requires us to go beyond the objective dimension and encompass the subjective dimension of the research process such as teachers’ intuition, tacit knowledge and personal meaning-making. The challenge that lies in front of us is how to mindfully make sense of the role of subjectivity in teacher expertise development. This paper examines this issue in terms of three case studies of in-service teachers’ action research projects and points to what it takes for us to mindfully embrace subjectivity in mentoring teachers’ practice improvement research.
The role of subjectivity: Response to Noriyuki Inoue
Authors: Walton Joan
Published: August 2016

This paper offers a response to Dr Noriyuki Inoue’s article published in this issue of the International Journal for Transformative research, entitled The role of subjectivity in teacher expertise development: Mindfully embracing the “black sheep” of educational research. Inoue freely uses the terms ‘subjectivity’ and ‘objectivity’; but referring to findings from quantum physics and consciousness studies, both of which challenge the view that it is possible to observe a world that exists independently of the observer, I ask whether the Japanese concepts of jikkan and ba actually also suggest that it is not possible to separate and define subjective and objective dimensions of reality.
Alternative Spaces of Cultural Consumption. An Analysis of Bucharest Urban Culture
Authors: Becuţ Anda Georgiana
Published: August 2016

In the last years, many pubs, bars and restaurants began to include in their offer cultural activities. Some cultural institutions also began to attract the public by offering a „leisure” space in the proximity, by association with private firms. This relatively recent phenomenon raised several specific questions about the identity of these spaces, the profile of their audience and the relation between artist, public and space, but also general questions about the emergent relation between economic and artistic sectors. The aim of this article is mapping the independent cultural urban spaces in Bucharest. On one hand we shall highlight the specificity of these hybrid spaces. On the other hand, the article analyses the customers’ attributes depending on age, education and occupation. At last, the manner of negotiating the culture-business relation between the participants, the established limits and the tensions and strategic alliances give more information on how economic and cultural spheres are and can be integrated.
Space and Time Perception and the Geopark’s Communities. From Mythical Geography to Heritage Interpretation
Authors: Ciobanu Cristian
Published: August 2016

A geopark is a complex protected area, combining time scales, nature, culture, man and Earth. Since its creation, Hațeg Geopark uses an innovative approach on community involvement based not only on the tangible culture, but also on the intangible heritage, geographical information, myths and beliefs. The Geopark uses popular geographical knowledge to map the local space perception, to investigate the imaginative geographies and to capture the memory of the communities. This data, combined with scientific facts, forms the Interpretation Strategy of the region. The aim of this study is to show the theoretical framework of working with popular geographical knowledge and its practical uses in heritage interpretation: strategy, infrastructure, identity and perpetuated cultural values.
Spoliation vs. ‘The right not to lie’: An economic theory of the 2012 political crisis leading to the referendum to impeach the President of Romania
Authors: Croitoru Lucian
Published: August 2016

In July 2012, Romania witnessed signs hinting at a possible erosion of political freedom. The paper shows that these signs point to a significant shortfall in economic freedom, deeply rooted in insecure property rights and high corruption. Such a shortage accounts for both the absence of the rule of law and many people’s reliance on the government for a job. Voters reliant on redistribution (mainly employees in the public sector, pensioners and welfare recipients) who actually cast their votes have outnumbered the other voters and have come to think of themselves as the owners not only of the redistribution rights set forth by law, but also of the values of those rights. Thus, excessive redistribution lays the groundwork for the “tyranny of the majority” and explains why the mechanisms to correct excesses cannot be used or are used too late, as they seem illegitimate. The paper presents the particularities of voters reliant on redistribution and the mechanism whereby they may come to agree, even if not wholeheartedly, to the reduction in their political freedoms if this means averting a cut in redistribution incomes. The paper concludes that it is only a matter of time before political freedom deteriorates in the absence of higher economic freedom via enhanced property rights, lower corruption and less reliance on redistribution.
Multi-Objective Heuristic Feature Selection for Speech-Based Multilingual Emotion Recognition
Authors: Brester Christina , Semenkin Eugene , Sidorov Maxim
Published: August 2016

If conventional feature selection methods do not show sufficient effectiveness, alternative algorithmic schemes might be used. In this paper we propose an evolutionary feature selection technique based on the two-criterion optimization model. To diminish the drawbacks of genetic algorithms, which are applied as optimizers, we design a parallel multicriteria heuristic procedure based on an island model. The performance of the proposed approach was investigated on the Speech-based Emotion Recognition Problem, which reflects one of the most essential points in the sphere of human-machine communications. A number of multilingual corpora (German, English and Japanese) were involved in the experiments. According to the results obtained, a high level of emotion recognition was achieved (up to a 12.97% relative improvement compared with the best F-score value on the full set of attributes).
Comparison of fluoxetine and 1-methyl-L-tryptophan in treatment of depression-like illness in Bacillus Calmette-Guerin-induced inflammatory model of depression in mice
Authors: Rana Proteesh , Sharma Amit K. , Jain Smita , Deshmukh Pravin , Bhattacharya S.K. , Banerjee B.D. , Mediratta Pramod K.
Published: August 2016

Background:

The inflammatory response system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of major depression. The pro-inflammatory cytokines like interferon-γ induce the enzyme indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism. The induction of IDO reduces the availability of tryptophan for serotonin synthesis. Furthermore, the metabolites of kynurenine pathway have neurotoxic property, which along with decreased serotonin may account for depression-like illness.

Methods:

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of treatment with fluoxetine and 1-methyl-L-tryptophan (1-MT) on Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)-induced inflammatory model of depression in mice. Behavioral tests included locomotor activity, forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST). Oxidative stress was assessed by examining the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) and non-protein thiols (NP-SH) in homogenized whole brain samples. Comet assays were performed to assess neurotoxicity.

Results:

The results of this study demonstrate that BCG treatment resulted in an increase in duration of immobility in FST and TST as compared to the saline group. Further, it produced a significant increase in the brain TBARS levels and decrease in the brain NP-SH levels. The hippocampal tissue from BCG group had significantly more comet cells than the saline group. 1-MT and fluoxetine were able to reverse the BCG-induced depression-like behavior and the derangement in oxidative stress parameters. Fluoxetine and 1-MT also reversed the BCG-induced neurotoxicity in such mice.

Conclusions:

1-Methyl-L-tryptophan exhibits antidepressant-like effect comparable to that of fluoxetine in treating BCG-induced depression-like behavior in mice.
The Cost-Benefit Relations of the Future Environmental Related Developments Strategies in the Hungarian Energy Sector
Authors: Fogarassy Csaba , Kovacs Attila
Published: August 2016

In the case of economic and social wealth, it is strategically essential to provide reliable energy sources which are available in long-term. Setting an energy network which suits the sustainable criteria might take a long time. Therefore, it is important to make decisions on the energy sector in advance. The Hungarian National Energy strategy elaborated on certain scenarios towards 2030, which describe the possible electricity generation opportunities up to 2020 and 2030. For 2020, there is already an accurate recommendation, but in case of the 2030 targets, there are several ways for innovation. Out of all, the realization of the “Nuclear-Carbon-Green” scenario seems most likely to be implemented. It implies the obvious involvement of nuclear energy potential development in the future strategies. Considering this trend, the present study divides the mentioned strategy into “Nuclear-Carbon” and “Nuclear-Green” scenarios to compare their long-term efficiency by economic means.
Cultural Consequences of Monetary Interventions
Authors: Guido Hülsmann Jörg
Published: August 2016

Hayek and Keynes are usually perceived as antipodes in one of the grand macroeconomic debates of the twentieth century. But they also agreed on some basic issues of monetary theory, most notably on the harmful character of money hoarding and the desirability of a flexible money supply to offset or neutralise changes in the demand for money. In our paper we highlight some of the cultural implications of a permanent expansion of the money supply. We will focus on the specific case of credit expansion (ex nihilo creation of money through credit) which has held centre stage of the monetary evolution of the past two hundred years and, even more specifically, on credit expansion pushed to such an extent that it entails permanent price-inflation.
Impaired Left Ventricular Longitudinal Function in Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Children
Authors: Muntean Iolanda , Șuteu Carmen , Togănel Rodica
Published: August 2016

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension is associated with right ventricular dilation and failure. As a result, left ventricular geometry is affected by shifting of the interventricular septum towards the left ventricle.

Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of chronic right ventricular pressure overload on left ventricular longitudinal function and synchronicity in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension children, using speckle-tracking echocardiography.

Material and methods: We prospectively evaluated 13 children (5 with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and 8 sex- and age-matched controls) using conventional and speckle-tracking echocardiography and clinical status (WHO functional class). Left ventricular longitudinal strain curve was generated for 17 segments and global left ventricular longitudinal peak systolic strain was calculated. Dyssynchrony index of the left ventricle was determined calculating the standard deviation of time to peak-systolic strain for 12 left ventricular, 6 basal and 6 midventricular segments, from short axis views.

Results: Strain imaging showed significantly decreased global left ventricular longitudinal strain and increased dyssynchrony index in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension patients as compared with controls (−16.80 ± 2.94 vs. −21.50 ± 1.60, p = 0.003, and 53.80 ± 16.72 vs. 22.25 ± 6.18, p=0.0001, respectively). There was a significant correlation between left ventricular longitudinal strain, dyssynchrony index and right ventricular fractional area changes (r = −0.66, p = 0.013, and r = −0.72, p = 0.005, respectively), right ventricular myocardial performance index (r = 0.86, p = 0.0001, and r = 0.93, p = 0.000, respectively), and LV eccentricity index (r = 0.82, p=0.001, and r = 0.93, p = 0.000, respectively) in the study population as a whole.

Conclusions: Left ventricular longitudinal systolic strain and synchronicity are impaired in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension children with normal left ventricular ejection fraction.
Solitary-Wave and Periodic Solutions of the Kuramoto-Velarde Dispersive Equation
Authors: Kamenov Ognyan Y.
Published: August 2016

In the present paper, solitary solutions of the Kuramoto- Velarde (K-V) dispersive equation have been found, using the deformation and mapping approach. These exact solutions show the dynamics and the evolution of dispersive solitary waves. In the case α2 = α3, three families of exact periodic solutions have been obtained by employing the bilinear transformation method.
Chaotic mixing by oscillating a Stokeslet in a circular Hele-Shaw microfluidic device
Authors: Aboelkassem Yasser
Published: August 2016

Chaotic mixing by oscillating a Stokeslet in a circular Hele-Shaw microffluidic device is presented in this article. Mathematical modeling for the induced flow motions by moving a Stokeslet along the x-axis is derived using Fourier expansion method. The solution is formulated in terms of the velocity stream function. The model is then used to explore different stirring dynamics as function of the Stokeslet parameters. For instance, the effects of using various oscillation amplitudes and force strengths are investigated. Mixing patterns using Poincaré maps are obtained numerically and have been used to characterize the mixing efficiency. Results have shown that, for a given Stokeslet’s strength, efficient mixing can be obtained when small oscillation amplitudes are used. The present mixing platform is expected to be useful for many of biomicrofluidic applications.
A Comparative Study of Initial Public Offerings in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia
Authors: Ho Horace
Published: August 2016

This paper presents the findings of a comparative study on the performance of the initial public offerings (IPOs) of shares listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKX), Singapore Exchange (SGX) and Bursa Malaysia (MYX). One indicator of the success of an IPO is its subscription rate, which can be used as a proxy for the level of investor confidence in the stock being offered. This paper examines the relationship between the performance of an IPO and its subscription rate, and the corporate factors that may affect an investor’s decision to subscribe to an IPO. A previous study conducted in Hong Kong (Ho, 2013) did not find support for the effect of the four corporate factors, namely size, managerial ownership prior to the IPO, industry differences and company age, on the subscription decision. However, managerial ownership prior to the IPO was found to be highly correlated with good performance, which could be attributed to a low agency cost in situations where managerial ownership is substantial. Further evidence from Singapore and Malaysia can help to shed light on the importance of agency cost in the pricing of IPOs.
Interparental conflict and child adjustment: main concepts and research findings
Authors: Przybyła-Basista Hanna
Published: August 2016

This is a review study of theoretical frameworks and research findings concerning the relationship between marital conflict and children’s response. The main focus is on understanding the mechanisms connecting marital conflict to child adjustment. Two main theoretical models are discussed, namely, Cognitive-Contextual Framework by Grych and Fincham (1990) and Emotional Security Hypothesis by Davies and Cummings (1994). The analysis shows that marital conflicts are associated with a wide range of children’s adjustment problems. Parental destructive conflict patterns are associated with children’s behavioral problems, whereas positive emotionality and constructive conflict resolution lead to children’s positive or even neutral reactions to marital problems. Results are presented on how useful psychoeducational programs are for parents that prevent negative marital conflict effects on children.