bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of travel and mobility in processes of identity formation among the Positanesi
Authors: Canosa Antonia
Published: May 2014

This article is based on an ethnographic study of the community of Positano on the Amalfi Coast in the south of Italy. It examines how the flows of visiting tourists have shaped the economy, lifestyle and rhythms of this small but world-famous tourist destination. Through visual imagery and narratives, I explore how residents of the community create meaningful identities amidst the continuous flux and flow of people arriving and departing. The article builds on the concepts of travel and mobility as underlying features in postmodern societies and as vehicles of identity formation among residents in tourist destinations. The findings illustrate how tourism has transformed the locality of Positano into a network of networks, and has thrust the inhabitants of this small coastal village into the global economy. The research also explores some of the intergenerational differences among older and younger residents that are exacerbated by the changes brought about by tourism. Reflecting on my role as an anthropologist doing research ‘at home’, the article seeks to contribute to the growing field of the anthropology of tourism.
Psychometric examination of a Spanish translation of a developmental screening instrument
Authors: Pomés Maria , Squires Jane , Yovanoff Paul
Published: May 2014

Immigrant populations are growing and permanently changing the demographic profile of the United States. Diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds are imposing demands and challenges upon agencies serving young children and families. Culturally sensitive assessments are not always available for these populations, and psychometric properties of available instruments have not always been investigated. This study examined one developmental screening instrument translated and adapted for Spanish-speaking families, the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition, and evaluated how scores of children on the 9-, 18-, and 30-month Spanish translation differed from scores of children on the English version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition. Item characteristics across the English and Spanish versions of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition, were investigated. Findings indicated that most of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition, items functioned invariantly across language versions, indicating that these items were productive for gathering information, presented an adequate hierarchy difficulty for order of items, and were eliciting a range of response options included on the tool. Implications for practice and research are discussed, supporting cross-cultural studies on parent-completed questionnaires as necessary for effective screening and monitoring of young children’s development in a context of cultural and linguistic diversity.
Associations among preschool children’s classroom literacy environment, interest and engagement in literacy activities, and early reading skills
Authors: Baroody Alison E , Diamond Karen E
Published: May 2014

This study examines the relations among the classroom literacy environment, children’s interest and engagement in literacy activities, and children’s early reading skills in a sample of 167 children aged 4 and 5 years enrolled in 31 Head Start classrooms. Researchers rated the classroom literacy environment. Teachers reported on children’s interest in literacy activities and observers reported on children’s engagement in literacy activities during large group and free play. Researchers directly assessed children’s early reading skills: phonological awareness, letter-word knowledge, and expressive vocabulary. Classroom literacy environment was indirectly associated with some early reading skills via child literacy interest and engagement. Different associations were found for literacy engagement during large group compared to literacy engagement during free play. The implications of the findings are discussed, as are directions for future research.
Identifying Monolingual Respondents for Cognitive Interviewing
Authors: Park Hyunjoo , Son Jiyoung
Published: May 2014

Previous studies have found monolinguals and bilinguals use different areas of the brain when solving problems, while bilinguals manifest a cognitive system with the ability to attend to more relevant information while ignoring distractions (Bialystok 2007; Hernandez and Bates 2001). Since the mental process that monolinguals experience when answering survey questions differs from that of bilinguals, they likely encounter different problems in understanding the meaning of questions even in their native language. Therefore, for cognitive interviews aimed at improving the quality of translated questionnaires targeting monolingual non-English speakers, it is crucial to conduct interviews with such respondents to elicit relevant information. However, there has been no standardized tool for identifying these speakers. By using different definitions of monolingual speakers: (1) based on self-rated English reading, (2) based on self-rated speaking, and (3) based on both, we investigate how similar or different these groups are by comparing their demographic characteristics.
How Telephone Interviewers’ Responsiveness Impacts Their Success
Authors: Broome Jessica
Published: May 2014

Growing rates of nonresponse to telephone surveys can contribute to nonresponse error, and interviewers contribute differentially to nonresponse. Why do some telephone interviewers have better response rates than others? This study uncovered a critical behavior of successful telephone interviewers over the course of introductions: responsive feedback. Using detailed coding of telephone introductions, I explored interviewers’ speech. Interviewers were most responsive to answerers in contacts that resulted in deferrals and least responsive in refusals. Practical applications for telephone interviewer training are discussed.
Restenosis and symptom recurrence after endovascular therapy for claudication: Does duplex ultrasound correlate with recurrent claudication?
Authors: Jones Douglas W , Graham Ashley , Connolly Peter H , Schneider Darren B , Meltzer Andrew J
Published: May 2014

After endovascular therapy, duplex ultrasound surveillance to detect restenosis guides clinical decisions and defines treatment failure. However, the correlation between duplex ultrasound and symptom recurrence remains unclear. We reviewed our institutional experience (2007–2010) to identify patients undergoing endovascular therapy for claudication. The association between post-intervention systolic velocity ratio and patient-reported symptom recurrence was determined. We analyzed 183 follow-up visits following treatment in 88 limbs (femoropopliteal (56%) or iliac (44%) arteries). After femoropopliteal intervention, median systolic velocity ratio was higher in patients with symptom recurrence (2.99 symptomatic vs. 1.69 asymptomatic; p < 0.001). Elevated systolic velocity ratio or occlusion correlated with symptom recurrence (area under receiver operator characteristic curve = 0.82 [95% CI 0.74–0.83]), and systolic velocity ratio >2.5 was 71% sensitive and 72% specific for symptom recurrence. After femoropopliteal endovascular therapy for claudication, duplex ultrasound-detected restenosis is highly associated with clinical deterioration. This validates objective criteria for treatment failure in claudicants and suggests that symptom status can serve as a primary indicator of anatomic restenosis.
The caring leader – What followers expect of their leaders and why?
Authors: Gabriel Yiannis
Published: May 2014

This paper examines the moral standing of leaders not from any particular philosophical or political vantage point, but rather from that of the followers. Followers expect leaders to be competent just as they expect professionals and others; but they also expect leaders to provide moral leadership. Followers frequently judge leaders by standards of morality that are considerably harsher than those by which they judge other people; they may also forgive leaders sins that they would not forgive in others. As a result, leaders are often cast in black and white terms as either saints or devils. The paper argues that criteria used to judge leaders are rooted in fantasy and myth as well as early life experiences, and goes on to highlight the archetype of the caring leader. This is a leader who offers personalized attention to his/her followers and is willing to go beyond the call of duty in dispatching his/her responsibilities. The paper then links the ethical archetype of the caring leader with some current discourses on the ethics of care and the obligations it creates for a caring leader. Using some illustrations from hospital leadership, the paper concludes by identifying some of the difficulties that leaders face in meeting the exigencies of an ethic of care.
Depoliticizing terror: The news framing of the terrorist attacks in Norway, 22 July 2011
Authors: Falkheimer Jesper , Olsson Eva-Karin
Published: May 2014

This article analyzes how the Norwegian news media framed the terrorist attacks in Oslo and the island of Utöya, which killed 77 mainly young people on 22 July 2011. Did the news media favour or counteract the propaganda of the terrorist? After discussing earlier research about terrorism and media and presenting theories on news framing, results from a content analysis of 924 news articles in two major Norwegian newspapers during the first two weeks after the attacks are analyzed. The coverage of the attacks is found to be very descriptive, focused on the perpetrator as an individual, giving him questionable political exposure and not analyzing reasons and consequences on a political–societal level. The news framing functioned as a way of depoliticizing the terror attacks by portraying the attack as conducted by a lone lunatic in contrast to a politically motivated terrorist linked to right-wing extremism.
Systematic review of new medics’ clinical task experience by country
Authors: Kamau Caroline
Published: May 2014

Objectives

There is a need for research which informs on the overall size and significance of clinical skills deficits among new medics, globally. There is also the need for a meta-review of the similarities and differences between countries in the clinical skills deficits of new medics.

Design

A systematic review of published literature produced 68 articles from Google/Google Scholar, of which nine met the inclusion criteria (quantitative clinical skills data about new medical doctors).

Participants

One thousand three hundred twenty-nine new medical doctors (e.g. foundation year-1s, interns, postgraduate year-1 doctors).

Setting

Ten countries/regions.

Main outcome measures

One hundred twenty-three data points and representation of a broad range of clinical procedures.

Results

The average rate of inexperience with a wide range of clinical procedures was 35.92% (lower confidence interval [CI] 30.84, upper CI 40.99). The preliminary meta-analysis showed that the overall deficit in experience is significantly different from 0 in all countries. Focusing on a smaller selection of clinical skills such as catheterisation, IV cannulation, nasogastric tubing and venepuncture, the average rate of inexperience was 26.75% (lower CI 18.55, upper CI 35.54) and also significant. England presented the lowest average deficit (9.15%), followed by New Zealand (18.33%), then South Africa (19.53%), Egypt, Kuwait, Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Ireland (21.07%), after which was Nigeria (37.99%), then USA (38.5%) and Iran (44.75%).

Conclusion

A meta-analysis is needed to include data not yet in the public domain from more countries. These results provide some support for the UK General Medical Council’s clear, detailed curriculum, which has been heralded by other countries as good practice.
Youth Restiveness in the Niger Delta
Authors: Ejumudo Kelly Bryan Ovie
Published: May 2014

One of the many-sided effects of environmental injustice in the Niger Delta is “Youth Restiveness” which metamorphosed into proliferation of arms and the emergence of militias that is arguably a threat to the macro-Nigerian environment. This article, which relied on secondary sources of data, critically examines youth restiveness in the Niger Delta and contends that the root cause is the legal environmental laws that provided the basis for the operational hazards of the oil conglomerates that have collaborated with the Nigerian state whose intervention agencies have largely failed to close the developmental gaps in the region. The article posits that in the face of sundry efforts by the Nigerian state, particularly the infinitesimal 13% derivation element of the current revenue sharing formula, the failed land use reform attempt, the partially successful short-run post-amnesty program, and the controversial petroleum industry bill, the central developmental concerns of the Niger Delta region have not been addressed. The article concludes with some useful recommendations including the exigency of the modification of the obnoxious and eco-environmentally disadvantageous laws and a holistic developmental approach and action-based programs by the Nigerian government and oil conglomerates that will provide sustainable windows of opportunity and safety nets for the socio-economically dislocated youths.
Novel activating mutations lacking cysteine in type I cytokine receptors in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Shochat Chen , Tal Noa , Gryshkova Vitalina , Birger Yehudit , Bandapalli Obul R. , Cazzaniga Giovanni , Gershman Nava , Kulozik Andreas E. , Biondi Andrea , Mansour Marc R. , Twizere Jean-Claude , Muckenthaler Martina U. , Ben-Tal Nir , Constantinescu Stefan N. , Bercovich Dani , Izraeli Shai
Published: May 2014

Gain-of-function somatic mutations introducing cysteines to either the extracellular or to the transmembrane domain (TMD) in interleukin-7 receptor α (IL7R) or cytokine receptor-like factor 2 (CRLF2) have been described in acute lymphoblastic leukemias. Here we report noncysteine in-frame mutations in IL7R and CRLF2 located in a region of the TMD closer to the cytosolic domain. Biochemical and functional assays showed that these are activating mutations conferring cytokine-independent growth of progenitor lymphoid cells in vitro and are transforming in vivo. Protein fragment complementation assays suggest that despite the absence of cysteines, the mechanism of activation is through ligand-independent dimerization. Mutagenesis experiments and ConSurf calculations suggest that the mutations stabilize the homodimeric conformation, positioning the cytosolic kinases in predefined orientation to each other, thereby inducing spontaneous receptor activation independently of external signals. Hence, type I cytokine receptors may be activated in leukemia through 2 types of transmembrane somatic dimerizing mutations.
A preparation approach of exploring cluster ion implantation: from ultra-thin carbon film to graphene
Authors: Wang Zesong , Zhang Zaodi , Zhang Rui , Li Hui , Fu Dejun
Published: May 2014

Based on the extensive application of 2 × 1.7MV Tandetron accelerator, a low-energy cluster chamber has been built to explore for synthesizing graphene. Raman spectrum and atomic force microscopy (AFM) show that an amorphous carbon film in nanometer was deposited on the silicon by C4 cluster implantation. And we replaced the substrate with Ni/SiO2/Si and measured the thickness of Ni film by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Combined with suitable anneal conditions, these samples implanted by various small carbon clusters were made to grow graphene. Results from Raman spectrum reveal that few-layer graphene were obtained and discuss whether I
G/I
2D can contribute to explain the relationship between the number of graphene layers and cluster implantation dosage.

PACS: 29.20.-c; 29.25.Ni; 81.05.-t
Strong convergence of approximated iterations for asymptoticallypseudocontractive mappings
Authors: Yao Yonghong , Postolache Mihai , Kang Shin Min
Published: May 2014

The asymptotically nonexpansive mappings have been introduced by Goebel and Kirkin 1972. Since then, a large number of authors have studied the weak and strongconvergence problems of the iterative algorithms for such a class of mappings.It is well known that the asymptotically nonexpansive mappings is a propersubclass of the class of asymptotically pseudocontractive mappings. In thepresent paper, we devote our study to the iterative algorithms for finding thefixed points of asymptotically pseudocontractive mappings in Hilbert spaces. Wesuggest an iterative algorithm and prove that it converges strongly to the fixedpoints of asymptotically pseudocontractive mappings.

MSC: 47J25, 47H09, 65J15.
Rare case of exogenous Candida dubliniensis endophthalmitis: a case report and brief review of the literature
Authors: McMillan Brian Douglas , Miller Gary James , Nguyen John
Published: May 2014

Background

Candida dubliniensis is a recently described opportunistic fungal pathogen that rarely infects the eye. Reported cases of C. dubliniensis endophthalmitis have been of endogenous etiology and demonstrated recovery of visual acuity with timely treatment. We herein report an unusual case of severe C. dubliniensis endophthalmitis requiring enucleation.

Findings

This is a retrospective, descriptive case report with a brief literature review. A 41-year-old Caucasian man, with a history of blunt trauma 8 months prior, presented to the emergency department with left eye pain and loss of vision 2 days after complicated cataract surgery. He was first evaluated by an outside ophthalmologist 3 months after trauma for left eye pain and progressive vision loss. He was found to have light perception vision with non-granulomatous anterior uveitis but no sign of ruptured globe. A dense cataract developed while he was treated with topical and subtenon's corticosteroids for which he underwent cataract surgery. Our examination revealed no light perception vision with a relative afferent pupillary defect, elevated intraocular pressure, moderate anterior chamber reaction, pupillary membrane, vitritis, and choroidal thickening on B-scan ultrasonography. Diagnostic vitrectomy revealed purulent vitreal debris, retinal detachment with severe retinal necrosis, and choroidal infiltrates. Operative fungal cultures grew C. dubliniensis. Despite intravitreal and systemic anti-fungal treatment, vision and pain did not improve, resulting in subsequent enucleation.

Conclusion

C. dubliniensis endophthalmitis is uncommonly encountered and typically has reasonable visual outcomes. This is the first reported case of C. dubliniensis, likely exogenous endophthalmitis, resulting in enucleation, illustrating the potential virulence of this newly described organism.
Synthesis and cytotoxic evaluation of some new[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-one derivatives
Authors: Alipour Eskandar , Mousavi Zinatsadat , Safaei Zahra , Pordeli Mahboobeh , Safavi Maliheh , Firoozpour Loghman , Mohammadhosseini Negar , Saeedi Mina , Ardestani Sussan Kabudanian , Shafiee Abbas , Foroumadi Alireza
Published: May 2014

Background

Homoisoflavonoids are naturally occurring compounds belong to flavonoid classes possessing various biological properties such as cytotoxicity. In this work, an efficient strategy for the synthesis of novel homoisoflavonoids, [1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-ones, was developed and all compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities on three breast cancer cell lines.

Methods

Our synthetic route started from benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ol which was reacted with 3-bromopropanoic acid followed by the reaction of oxalyl chloride to afford 6,7-dihydro-8H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-one. The aldol condensation of the later compound with aromatic aldehydes led to the formation of the title compounds. Five novel derivatives 4a-e were tested for their cytotoxic activity against three human breast cancer cell lines including MCF-7, T47D, and MDA-MB-231 using the MTT assay.

Results

Among the synthesized compounds, 7-benzylidene-6,7-dihydro-8H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-one (4a) exhibited the highest activity against three cell lines. Also the analysis of acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining results revealed that 7-benzylidene-6,7-dihydro-8H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-one (4a) and 7-(2-methoxybenzylidene)-6,7-dihydro-8H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-one (4b) induced apoptosis in T47D cell line.

Conclusion

Finally, the effect of methoxy group on the cytotoxicity of compounds 4b-4d was investigated in and it was revealed that it did not improve the activity of [1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]chromen-8-ones against MCF-7, T47D, and MDA-MB-231.
Time from admission to initiation of surgery for source control is a critical determinant of survival in patients with gastrointestinal perforation with associated septic shock
Authors: Azuhata Takeo , Kinoshita Kosaku , Kawano Daisuke , Komatsu Tomonori , Sakurai Atsushi , Chiba Yasutaka , Tanjho Katsuhisa
Published: May 2014

Introduction

We developed a protocol to initiate surgical source control immediately after admission (early source control) and perform initial resuscitation using early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) for gastrointestinal (GI) perforation with associated septic shock. This study evaluated the relationship between the time from admission to initiation of surgery and the outcome of the protocol.

Methods

This examination is a prospective observational study and involved 154 patients of GI perforation with associated septic shock. We statistically analyzed the relationship between time to initiation of surgery and 60-day outcome, examined the change in 60-day outcome associated with each 2 hour delay in surgery initiation and determined a target time for 60-day survival.

Results

Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that time to initiation of surgery (hours) was significantly associated with 60-day outcome (Odds ratio (OR), 0.31; 95% Confidence intervals (CI)), 0.19-0.45; P <0.0001). Time to initiation of surgery (hours) was selected as an independent factor for 60-day outcome in multiple logistic regression analysis (OR), 0.29; 95% CI, 0.16-0.47; P <0.0001). The survival rate fell as surgery initiation was delayed and was 0% for times greater than 6 hours.

Conclusions

For patients of GI perforation with associated septic shock, time from admission to initiation of surgery for source control is a critical determinant, under the condition of being supported by hemodynamic stabilization. The target time for a favorable outcome may be within 6 hours from admission. We should not delay in initiating EGDT-assisted surgery if patients are complicated with septic shock.
Viscoacoustic waveform inversion of velocity structures in the time domain
Authors: Bai Jianyong , Yingst David , Bloor Robert , Leveille Jacques
Published: May 2014

Because of the conversion of elastic energy into heat, seismic waves are attenuated and dispersed as they propagate. The attenuation effects can reduce the resolution of velocity models obtained from waveform inversion or even cause the inversion to produce incorrect results. Using a viscoacoustic model consisting of a single standard linear solid, we discovered a theoretical framework of viscoacoustic waveform inversion in the time domain for velocity estimation. We derived and found the viscoacoustic wave equations for forward modeling and their adjoint to compensate for the attenuation effects in viscoacoustic waveform inversion. The wave equations were numerically solved by high-order finite-difference methods on centered grids to extrapolate seismic wavefields. The finite-difference methods were implemented satisfying stability conditions, which are also presented. Numerical examples proved that the forward viscoacoustic wave equation can simulate attenuative behaviors very well in amplitude attenuation and phase dispersion. We tested acoustic and viscoacoustic waveform inversions with a modified Marmousi model and a 3D field data set from the deep-water Gulf of Mexico for comparison. The tests with the modified Marmousi model illustrated that the seismic attenuation can have large effects on waveform inversion and that choosing the most suitable inversion method was important to obtain the best inversion results for a specific seismic data volume. The tests with the field data set indicated that the inverted velocity models determined from the acoustic and viscoacoustic inversions were helpful to improve images and offset gathers obtained from migration. Compared to the acoustic inversion, viscoacoustic inversion is a realistic approach for real earth materials because the attenuation effects are compensated.
Iterative supervirtual refraction interferometry
Authors: Al-Hagan Ola , Hanafy Sherif M. , Schuster Gerard T.
Published: May 2014

In refraction tomography, the low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) can be a major obstacle in picking the first-break arrivals at the far-offset receivers. To increase the S/N, we evaluated iterative supervirtual refraction interferometry (ISVI), which is an extension of the supervirtual refraction interferometry method. In this method, supervirtual traces are computed and then iteratively reused to generate supervirtual traces with a higher S/N. Our empirical results with both synthetic and field data revealed that ISVI can significantly boost up the S/N of far-offset traces. The drawback is that using refraction events from more than one refractor can introduce unacceptable artifacts into the final traveltime versus offset curve. This problem can be avoided by careful windowing of refraction events.
Law of the Land? Hacienda Power and the Challenge of Republicanism in Postindependence Mexico
Authors: Schaefer Timo
Published: May 2014

Recent scholarship has shown that Latin American popular actors engaged creatively with the new system of republican law that followed the region's independence from Spanish rule. But what impact did republican citizenship rights have on political relations on large agricultural estates, or haciendas, where settlements existed on privately owned land? How did local governance function in the absence of public space for republican institutions to grow in? This article examines the challenges to landed power initiated by requests from two hacienda communities in the state of Guanajuato in the early 1820s to erect constitutional townships on their estates, as well as the landowners' responses to this challenge. From these cases the article moves to a wider investigation of the reorganization of power structures internal to haciendas in the aftermath of Mexico's War of Independence. By analyzing haciendas as a kind of constitutional gray zone in which vaguely defined property rights clashed with vaguely defined directives for constitutional political organization, the article contributes to understanding liberal state formation in Latin America during the crucial first years of the new republics.
Tax Farming, Liquor, and the Quest for Fiscal Modernity in Venezuela, 1908–1935
Authors: Yarrington Doug
Published: May 2014

The transition from tax farming to the direct bureaucratic administration of taxation, long recognized as a critical phase in the formation of centralized states, has received little consideration in studies of Latin America. Analysis of this fiscal transition can yield insights into Latin American state formation by focusing attention on the political and economic interests served or undermined by these two systems of administration. In Venezuela, advocates of fiscal modernity sought to enact this transition to modernize the economy and to maximize revenue in support of state-building projects. The ruler of Venezuela during this moment, Juan Vicente Gómez (1908–1935), had to weigh these benefits of fiscal reform against the usefulness of distributing lucrative tax farming contracts as patronage to his top collaborators. This article argues that the attempt to “import” modern Western fiscal systems into Venezuela resulted in a circuitous, contingent transition, producing state structures that combined patrimonial and legal-rational practices and that thus may be characterized as neopatrimonial. The Gómez regime introduced direct administration of the liquor tax into certain regions in 1915, but liquor tax farming was eliminated only in 1931. During this transition, the central state's accumulation of expertise through direct administration led to bureaucratic refinements in the tax farming system, while patrimonial practices became intertwined with the system of direct fiscal administration. A focus on the liquor tax, then, suggests that the logic of neopatrimonial state formation in Venezuela was not driven by oil alone.
The “Little Doctrine” And Indigenous Catechesis in New Spain
Authors: Burkhart Louise M.
Published: May 2014

This paper traces the history of a catechetical quiz widely used in colonial New Spain. A succinct summary of Jerónimo de Ripalda's catechism directed at less “capable” Christians, the text makes its first appearance in works published in the 1630s by secular clergy posted in indigenous communities. Jesuit father Bartolomé Castaño, laboring in the colony's northern missions, published the questionnaire's most frequently repeated version in 1644. Renditions in Spanish and in 11 (or more) native languages vary somewhat in the number of questions and the exact questions asked, but a large number of shared questions, presented in the same order, allow the versions to be treated as variants of a single text, which I here call the “Little Doctrine.” That this seventeenth-century text is a standard component of pictographic catechisms calls into question the conventional placement of these pictorial manuscripts into the evangelical tool kit. I here propose a later origin for the genre, as one of the legitimating strategies pursued by indigenous elites in the later seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. I suggest that pictographic catechisms supported elites' claims that they accepted Christianity immediately upon the arrival of the friars, learning doctrine in pictographic writing because they had not yet adopted alphabetic script. I compare pictographic versions of the text with alphabetic ones and note how indigenous artists transformed a text intended for “crude” native people into a testimony to the wisdom and faith of their picture-literate conquest-era ancestors.
From Commoning to Debt: Financialization, Microcredit, and the Changing Architecture of Capital Accumulation
Authors: Federici Silvia
Published: May 2014

The article examines the development of the new “debt economy,” especially the expansion of individual debt, in its relation to the main props of the neoliberal agenda: the precarization of work, the dismantling of the “welfare state,” and the increasing financialization of reproduction. The debt-based economy and the production of mass indebtedness, which must be viewed as a response to the accumulation crisis caused by the social struggles of the 1960s and 1970s, represents an important transformation in class relations. “Debt” hides class antagonism, individualizes workers, and weakens resistance to exploitation. In particular, “debt” undermines social solidarity, as in the case of microfinance where failure to repay loans results in much physical and psychological violence against the mostly female borrowers. The article traces the rise of antidebt movements, especially in Latin America and the United States, underlining their importance in the regeneration of the social fabric and the collectivization of resistance to banks, nongovernmental organizations, and debt collectors.
Communities of Crisis: Ruptures as Common Ties During Class Struggles in Greece, 2011-2012
Authors: Nasioka Katerina
Published: May 2014

The movement against austerity—the movement of occupied squares—in Greece in 2011 displayed little or no homogeneity. Rather than project an alternative proposal, it unveiled the contradictions existing in the field of labor. The essay traces the movement’s contradictory trajectory, situating it in the wider context of proletarian revolt and rupture in post-2008 Greece. Amid a social reality that is being rapidly, radically, and painfully overturned, it is through the indisputable contradictions of the struggle that these ruptures constitute antitotalizing practices directed against the capitalist totality.
Civil Society, Ngos, and Egypt’s 2011 Popular Uprising
Authors: Beinin Joel
Published: May 2014

Western policymakers, scholars, and foundations share a broad consensus that a dynamic civil society, often reduced to the presence of NGOs, is the essential ingredient of democracy. Although the concept of civil society is imprecisely and ubiquitously deployed, rendering it of dubious analytical utility, it has been widely applied to the Arab region. Despite the proliferation of Arab NGOs and other forms of association, authoritarian Arab regimes were fairly effective in blocking the emergence of truly independent associations of any sort. In fact, “civil society organizations” played only a small role in mobilizing the demonstrations and occupations of public space that were the emblematic expressions of the 2011 Arab uprisings. The Egyptian and other Arab popular uprisings were not the result of proliferating NGOs or “building civil society.” Rather, they were the consequence of converging vectors of diverse social protest movements over the previous decades involving urban intelligentsias, disaffected educated youth, blue- and white-collar workers and professionals, and marginalized religious communities and regions.
The Rise of the Gadget and Hyperludic Me-Dia
Authors: Merrin William
Published: May 2014

Though digital “gadgets” have become one of the most important sectors of consumer electronics, the concept itself has been largely overlooked. This article traces the history of the gadget from its nineteenth-century origins as a placeholding name to its use for a class of technical objects, through to its incorporation of electronics and its contemporary success. Building upon Jean Baudrillard’s analysis, the article explores how digital technology has changed the gadget’s nature and capacities. It argues that the digital gadget’s success lies in its hyperfunctionality, hyperludic experience, and relationship with me-dia. It analyzes the digital gadget’s role in the reorientation of the broadcast ecology around personalized media worlds and experiences, arguing that its mode of play represents an integration of the life, activities, bodies, and attention of the individual that extends beyond that achieved by broadcast media
Novel Deep Red Emitting Phosphors Ca14Zn6M10O35:Mn4+ (M = Al3+ and Ga3+)
Authors: Seki Kohei , Uematsu Kazuyoshi , Toda Kenji , Sato Mineo
Published: May 2014

This study investigated the luminescence properties of novel deep red phosphors Ca14Zn6M10O35:Mn4+ (M = Al3+ and Ga3+). These phosphors efficiently excited using a blue LED light. It exhibited a deep red emission around 713 nm. The luminescence intensities of CZA:Mn0.03 and CZG:Mn0.03 excited at 450 nm were, respectively, about 2.2 and 2.7 times higher than that of YAG:Ce3+ (P46). These phosphors also show little temperature quenching, but more than that shown by YAG:Ce3+ at 423 K. These results show that the deep red phosphor Ca14Zn6M10O35:Mn4+ (M = Al3+ and Ga3+) is a beneficial phosphor for use in indoor plant cultivation.
Sr8MB18O36 (M = Zn or Cd): Design and Synthesis of Two New Borates with a Special Ratio of 8:1
Authors: Zhang Xingwen , Yu Hongwei , Wu Hongping , Pan Shilie , Liu Lili , Jiao Anqing , Bai Chunyan
Published: May 2014

Two new borates, Sr8MB18O36 (M = Zn or Cd) with expected formulas representing the Sr:M ratio of 8:1, were synthesized. Their structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. They both crystallize in the same space group R−3c and possess isolated [B18O36]18− anionic group. In this work, not only Sr8MB18O36 (M = Zn or Cd) crystals were designed but they were also synthesized successfully. In addition, the reasons why the ratio of Sr:M is 8:1 in Sr8MB18O36 (M = Zn or Cd) are explained.
Fluctuations in Uncertainty
Authors: Bloom Nicholas
Published: May 2014

Uncertainty is an amorphous concept. It reflects uncertainty in the minds of consumers, managers, and policymakers about possible futures. It is also a broad concept, including uncertainty over the path of macro phenomena like GDP growth, micro phenomena like the growth rate of firms, and noneconomic events like war and climate change. In this essay, I address four questions about uncertainty. First, what are some facts and patterns about economic uncertainty? Both macro and micro uncertainty appear to rise sharply in recessions and fall in booms. Uncertainty also varies heavily across countries—developing countries appear to have about one-third more macro uncertainty than developed countries. Second, why does uncertainty vary during business cycles? Third, do fluctuations in uncertainty affect behavior? Fourth, has higher uncertainty worsened the Great Recession and slowed the recovery? Much of this discussion is based on research on uncertainty from the last five years, reflecting the recent growth of the literature.
Correction and Update: The Economic Effects of Climate Change
Authors: Tol Richard S. J.
Published: May 2014

Gremlins intervened in the preparation of my paper “The Economic Effects of Climate Change” published in the Spring 2009 issue of this journal. In Table 1 of that paper, titled “Estimates of the Welfare Impact of Climate Change,” minus signs were dropped from the two impact estimates, one by Plambeck and Hope (1996) and one by Hope (2006). In Figure 1 of that paper, titled “Fourteen Estimates of the Global Economic Impact of Climate Change,” and in the various analyses that support that figure, the minus sign was dropped from only one of the two estimates. The corresponding Table 1 and Figure 1 presented here correct these errors. Figure 2 titled, “Twenty-One Estimates of the Global Economic Impact of Climate Change” adds two overlooked estimates from before the time of the original 2009 paper and five more recent ones.
Privacy and Data-Based Research
Authors: Heffetz Ori , Ligett Katrina
Published: May 2014

What can we, as users of microdata, formally guarantee to the individuals (or firms) in our dataset, regarding their privacy? We retell a few stories, well-known in data-privacy circles, of failed anonymization attempts in publicly released datasets. We then provide a mostly informal introduction to several ideas from the literature on differential privacy, an active literature in computer science that studies formal approaches to preserving the privacy of individuals in statistical databases. We apply some of its insights to situations routinely faced by applied economists, emphasizing big-data contexts.
Slicing Up Global Value Chains
Authors: Timmer Marcel P. , Erumban Abdul Azeez , Los Bart , Stehrer Robert , de Vries Gaaitzen J.
Published: May 2014

In this paper, we “slice up the global value chain” using a decomposition technique that has recently become feasible due to the development of the World Input-Output Database. We trace the value added by all labor and capital that is directly and indirectly needed for the production of final manufacturing goods. The production systems of these goods are highly prone to international fragmentation as many stages can be undertaken in any country with little variation in quality. We seek to establish a series of facts concerning the global fragmentation of production that can serve as a starting point for future analysis. We describe four major trends. First, international fragmentation, as measured by the foreign value-added content of production, has rapidly increased since the early 1990s. Second, in most global value chains there is a strong shift towards value being added by capital and high-skilled labor, and away from less-skilled labor. Third, within global value chains, advanced nations increasingly specialize in activities carried out by high-skilled workers. Fourth, emerging economies surprisingly specialize in capital-intensive activities.
A Methodological Approach to Quantifying Plyometric Intensity
Authors: Jarvis Mark M. , Graham-Smith Phil , Comfort Paul
Published: May 2014

Jarvis, MM, Graham-Smith, P, and Comfort, P. A Methodological approach to quantifying plyometric intensity. J Strength Cond Res 30(9): 2522–2532, 2016—In contrast to other methods of training, the quantification of plyometric exercise intensity is poorly defined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the suitability of a range of neuromuscular and mechanical variables to describe the intensity of plyometric exercises. Seven male recreationally active subjects performed a series of 7 plyometric exercises. Neuromuscular activity was measured using surface electromyography (SEMG) at vastus lateralis (VL) and biceps femoris (BF). Surface electromyography data were divided into concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) phases of movement. Mechanical output was measured by ground reaction forces and processed to provide peak impact ground reaction force (PF), peak eccentric power (PEP), and impulse (IMP). Statistical analysis was conducted to assess the reliability intraclass correlation coefficient and sensitivity smallest detectable difference of all variables. Mean values of SEMG demonstrate high reliability (r ≥ 0.82), excluding ECC VL during a 40-cm drop jump (r = 0.74). PF, PEP, and IMP demonstrated high reliability (r ≥ 0.85). Statistical power for force variables was excellent (power = 1.0), and good for SEMG (power ≥0.86) excluding CON BF (power = 0.57). There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in CON SEMG between exercises. Eccentric phase SEMG only distinguished between exercises involving a landing and those that did not (percentage of maximal voluntary isometric contraction [%MVIC] = no landing −65 ± 5, landing −140 ± 8). Peak eccentric power, PF, and IMP all distinguished between exercises. In conclusion, CON neuromuscular activity does not appear to vary when intent is maximal, whereas ECC activity is dependent on the presence of a landing. Force characteristics provide a reliable and sensitive measure enabling precise description of intensity in plyometric exercises. The present findings provide coaches and scientists with an insightful and precise method of measuring intensity in plyometrics, which will allow for greater control of programming variables.
The Impact of Continuous and Ongoing Professional Development on the Nursing Process of Taking Care of Neurological Patients
Authors: Kopačević Lenka , Božan Mihelčić Vesna , Antić Sonja , Demarin Vida
Published: May 2014

Introduction. Nurses distinguish continuous professional development intended for career improvement and personal development from continuous professional development intended for improvement of skills and knowledge. Too many requests are put in front of an individual unacceptably stretching it onto the life outside work. Nurses and students have various expectations from their education.Aim. The aim of the study was to recognize the motivation and expectations of nurses undertaking further nursing education.Material and Methods. A three-phase study was conducted in 2007, 2009 and 2010 and included 622 nurses, 132 head nurses and 106 nursing undergraduate students at the University of Applied Health Studies in Zagreb, respectively. Anonymous questionnaire was used in the study.Results. Factors that motivate nurses to study are to improve knowledge, patient care and professional relations. Factors connected to personal development include boost of confidence and embracing of other values. Motivation for additional education is also connected to the change of work, practice improvement, self-confidence improvement, nursing career plans, and necessary intellectual stimulation. The reasons for which nurses decide to undertake further education are also desire for maintenance of clinical competence, but also enjoyment in studying itself.Conclusions. A permanently educated nurse will be able to assess the needs of patients of health care on time and consequently organize the provision of health care by using all human and technical resources. (JNNN 2014;3(1):10–14)
Schottky barrier height tuning by Hybrid organic-inorganic multilayers
Authors: Torrisi V. , Squillaci M. A. , Ruffino F. , Crupi I. , Grimaldi M.G. , Marletta G.
Published: May 2014

Semiconducting and insulating polymers and copolymers/Au nanograins based hybrid multilayers (HyMLs) were fabricated on p-Si single-crystal substrate by an iterative method that involves, respectively, Langmuir-Blodgett and spin-coating techniques (for the deposition of organic film) and sputtering technique (for the deposition of metal nanograins) to prepare Au/HyMLs/p-Si Schottky device. The electrical properties of the Au/HyMLs/p-Si Schottky device were investigated by current-voltage (I–V) measurements in the thickness range of 1-5 bilayers (BL).

At different number of layers, current-voltage (I–V) measurements were performed. Results showed a rectifying behavior. Junction parameters, such as barrier height (BH), from the I–V measurements for example for the PMMA-b-PS based Au/HyMLs/p-Si structure were obtained as 0.72±0.02 eV at 1BL and 0.64±0.02eV at 5BL. It was observed that the BH value of 0.61 eV obtained for the 5 BL PS based Au/HyMLs/p-Si structure was lower than the value of 0.68 eV of conventional Au/p-Si Schottky diodes. Thus, modification of the interfacial potential barrier for Au/p-Si diodes has been achieved using a thin MLs of different polymers based HyMls semiconductor.
Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Microgel-Modified Biomaterials Surfaces
Authors: Wu Yong , Liang Jing , Wang Qichen , Libera Matthew
Published: May 2014

Microgels are hydrogel particles with micron and sub-micron diameters. They have beendeveloped, studied, and exploited for a broad range of applications because of their uniquecombination of size, soft mechanical properties, and controllable network properties. We havebeen using microgels to modulate the properties of surfaces to differentially control theirinteractions with tissue cells and bacteria. The long-term goal is to create biomaterials thatpromote healing while simultaneously inhibiting infection. Because poly(ethylene glycol) [PEG]is used in a number of FDA-approved products and has well-known antifouling properties, wework primarily with PEG-based microgels. We render these anionic either by copolymerizationwith monomeric acids or by blending with polyacids. Both methods produce pH-dependentnegative charge. Surfaces, both planar 2-D surfaces as well as topographically complex 3-Dsurfaces, can be modified using a hierarchy of non-line-of-sight electrostatic depositionprocesses that create biomaterials surfaces whose cell adhesiveness is modulated by a submonolayerof microgels. Average inter-microgel spacings of 1-2 microns exploit naturaldifferences between staphylococcal bacteria and tissue cells, which open the opportunity todifferentially control surface interactions with them based on length-scale effects. Afterdeposition, the microgels can be loaded with a variety of small-molecule, cationic antimicrobials.The details of loading depend on the relative sizes of the antimicrobials and the microgelnetwork structure as well as on the amount and spatial distribution of electrostatic charge withinboth the microgel and on the antimicrobial. The exposed surface between microgels can befurther modified by the adsorption of adhesion-promoting proteins such as fibronectin viaelectrostatic interaction. This approach combines a rich interplay of microgel structure andchemistry as a key component in a simple and translatable approach to modulate the surfaceproperties of next-generation biomaterials.