bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Yugoslavism: Some Aspects and Comments
Authors: Djordjević Dimitrije
Published: July 2010

At the April, 1972, Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Social Science Association, which took place in Salt Lake City, five young American scholars presented papers dealing with various aspects of Yugoslavism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The papers and subsequent discussions were interesting from two standpoints. First, the authors belong to the youngest generation of American scholars familiar with the several Yugoslav languages and with Yugoslav archives and other sources. Second, the topic of Yugoslavism is not only complex and provocative, but currently topical as well. It is striking that even today, more than fifty-five years after the creation of the Yugoslav state, we do not have a modern and comprehensive study of the origins and development of the Yugoslav idea and, consequently, of the Yugoslav movement in the past. Inter-war Yugoslav historiography usually approached the problem from the "unitaristic" viewpoint, which corresponded to the political necessities of the time.1 As a reaction to this. post-war Yugoslav historiography espoused the other extreme: a stress on the national histories of the various Yugoslav peoples, to the detriment of the Yugoslav entity.2 When we attempt to study the development of Yugoslavism in the past, it strikes me as necessary to find the answers to three general questions: 1. What caused the origin of the Yugoslav idea? 2. What were the features of its development? 3. What were the internal and external obstacles the Yugoslav movement had to confront?
The Historical Significance of the September 1923 Uprising in Bulgaria
Authors: Kosev Dimitur
Published: July 2010

The people's antifascist uprising in September, 1923, organized and conducted by the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP), is one of the greatest events in Bulgaria's modern history. It is allotted a foremost place in the textbooks on the history of Bulgaria, and numerous special scientific works have been and will continue to be dedicated to it.* However, the September uprising of 1923 is not merely of interest to Bulgarian history alone; it also occupies an important place in the recent history of mankind. Three major events characterize the revolutionary process in 1923: the September uprising in Bulgaria, the Hamburg uprising in Germany in October, and the Kraków uprising in Poland in November. Comparatively, the September uprising involved the largest number of participants and was the best organized and the best conducted of the three uprisings. This fact was pointed out at the Fifth World Communist Internationale and is why all objectively written works of general history give it a prominent place.
The Constitutional Appeal of Shari'a in a Modernizing Saudi State
Authors: Al-Sudairy Ziad
Published: July 2010

In 2007 and in a drive to modernize its legal system, Saudi Arabia promulgated the new Law of the Judiciary which aims at beginning a process of codifying Shar'ia Law, unifying the Saudi Court System and making the administration of state legislation a function of the reluctant Shar'ia courts. This project, however, entails revisiting traditional Shari's legal principals heretofore held sacrosanct and presumes to redraw the contours of legitimate state power while simultaneously limiting the constraining role of Shar'ia. As such, the new Law of the Judiciary constitutes a major challenge to the Saudi Shar"a establishment and its implementation, or lack thereof, shall reflect on the extent the Saudi constitutional landscape has evolved.
The Establishment of Kemalist Secularism in Turkey
Authors: Köker Tolga
Published: July 2010

Three mechanisms (exit, sincere voice and self-subversion) mediated the establishment of Turkish secularism. Exit means purging opponents out of decision-making. Sincere voice is public expression of dissent against the secularist reforms. Self-subversion refers to concealment of underlying opposition to Kemalist project in the face of perceived pressures. Exit ensured the absence of the opposition leaders in the Assembly, allowing the Kemalists to intimidate the opposing deputies to self-subvert themselves, clogging sincere voice, to such a degree that all the secularizing reforms were unanimously approved without a single vote of dissent in the parliament. Thus, the Kemalist secularism was established as a result of the dominance of exit and self-subversion over sincere voice. The very same interplay of these three mechanisms later led to the rise of a secular public sphere in Turkey during the early republican era (1923-1938). The article ends with discussing the social ramifications of this intense secularization in contemporary Turkey.
Between Institutions and Culture: The UNDP's Arab Human Development Reports, 2002-2005
Authors: Trebilcock Michael
Published: July 2010

The four Arab Human Development Reports, 2002-2005, sponsored by the United Nations Development Program and written by over one hundred Arab scholars based in the Middle East and elsewhere, have attracted more attention and controversy than any other official studies of development in recent years. The Reports are controversial in at least two respects: First, they adopt a conception of development as freedom that excludes all economic variables. Second, they emphasize three major themes, building a knowledge society; expansion of political freedoms; and women's empowerment, that challenge in fundamental ways central features of institutional regimes and cultural and religious traditions in Arab societies. This paper is critical of the espousal of a form of egalitarian liberal democracy as a benchmark for formulating reform strategies in Arab societies, particularly given the role and influence of path dependence in explaining the status quo. This form of universalistic utopianism tends to discount the dramatic differences in performance amongst various Arab societies on a wide range of economic, social, and political indicators and fails to exploit the potential value of these differences in identifying and exploiting openings for feasible reform strategies.
System-Induced NGOs’ Origins, Action Strategies, and Challenges: The Case of the “Elderly, Women’s, and Children’s Shelter” of the Ning Sub-District Administration, Nanjing
Authors: Cui’e () Zhang , Jinhua () Di
Published: July 2010

This case study examines a local women’s NGO called the “Elderly, Women’s, and Children’s Shelter” in Nanjing. Using dynamic process analysis, the article observes, in a state-dominated system, the origins, action strategies, and challenges of system-induced NGOs (SINGOs). Research shows that SINGOs are organized to meet the needs of local governments; their appearance, furthermore, is directly related to “local state” paternalism. In the practice of mobilizing resources, SINGOs garner most of their resources through strategies like participating in officially organized study tours, fighting for “typical model” status, and integrating and taking advantage of residential community system resources. However, because they inherit “system-induced” qualities and political weaknesses, they are also left with structural flaws and pains.
The Public Fundraising Journey of Grassroots NGOs: The Case of the Cultural Development Center for Rural Women
Authors: Liao Xuefei
Published: July 2010

In recent years, China's NGOs have played an increasingly large role in the process of developing economic society, transforming society, and constructing a socialist harmonious society. However, many NGOs face the problem of limited funds and this problem is especially prominent among grassroots NGOs. Without any previous experience upon which to rely, the Cultural Development Center for Rural Women (hereafter "Rural Women") began an attempt to make "developing local resources" a new channel for fundraising. Through a public fundraising activity staged thrice in three consecutive years, Rural Women raised more than RMB 350,000 and became a certain social force and a harbinger for the raising of local funds by grassroots NGOs. Through extensive surveying and analysis of the public fundraising activities of this organization, the current piece reveals the key factors of success in public fundraising by Chinese grassroots NGOs as well as several related policies and institutional conditions.
Purchasing Public Services: The Contract-Oriented Model for Cooperation between Government and Civil Organizations – The Case of Shanghai Dapuqiao Community Culture Services Center
Authors: Le Yuan
Published: July 2010

Since 2003, Shanghai, Beijing, and other cities have witnessed instances of governments buying public services from civil organizations. This is related to the shift in Chinese governments' functions as well as the background of establishing of a service-oriented government and the socialization of public services. The Shanghai Dapuqiao Community Culture Service Center movement reflected not only the model of governments contracting services to community organizations, but is more a realization of the theory of public-private partnerships. From this example, we can see that in order to effectively achieve the effects of contracting for public services both governments and civil organizations must bring their comparative advantages into play. It is key to preserve the independence of civil organizations in the contracting for public services and to establish an open and competitive processing system. This will require that governments increase their trust in civil organizations, that civil organizations improve their capacities, and will further require improvements in the relevant legal frameworks.
Empirical Analysis of Charitable Activities during the Wenchuan Earthquake: Telling the NGO Story
Authors: Han Junkui , Ji Ying
Published: July 2010

After the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, people started to pay more attention to charitable activities and to place high hopes in NGOs. Through an extensive analysis of surveys (including 465 surveys from individuals involved in the earthquake, 171 surveys from people who benefited from the charity work, and 60 surveys from the NGOs themselves), meeting notes, and interviews with involved groups and individuals, we found that most people were more than willing to donate their money and time to charity. Those who benefited from the charity work also reported high levels of satisfaction with the government, NGOs, and corporations. However, with respect to NGOs, there remains room for improvement in the areas of credibility, publicity, and transparency of information. Respecting people's distinct donation preferences, NGOs should seize this opportunity to expand the charity market and to educate and develop new volunteers. On the other hand, the government should use a service purchase mechanism to encourage NGOs' involvement in disaster area reconstruction. The government can also consider implementing measures to reward NGOs that were actively involved in disaster relief.
Analysis of YBC's “Rebuild Our Home Entrepreneurship Campaign” – A Social Enterprise Perspective
Authors: Zhu Xiaohong
Published: July 2010

During the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, Youth Business China (YBC) quickly launched the “Rebuild Our Home Entrepreneurship Campaign.” With the help of the Mianyang government, YBC set up a local office and brought the campaign directly to the disaster area. YBC took advantage of its social resources and assisted youth affected by the disaster in starting their own businesses, which boosted the local economy and garnered public recognition. YBC's success was due to the combination of rebuilding and aid concepts with their own management ideas. YBC also successfully integrated public resources and private resources with its own unique charity management knowledge and standard operations. This rebuilding assistance model is an innovation in the non-profit sector, as well as an example of successful operation of a social enterprise.
An Account of Discourse Markers
Authors: Fraser Bruce
Published: July 2010

Discourse Markers (DMs) have been a topic of research for 30 years under many different names. The present paper presents an account of one view of DMs with the aim of providing researchers in the field with a coherent definition of DMs and a presentation of the syntactic and semantic properties of this functional category that will enable them to compare their work on DMs with other researchers. In addition, an analysis of the uses of the DM but supports the claim that there is one core meaning relationship, contrast, with the interpretation of the more than 10 different uses of but being signalled by context and pragmatic elaboration.
WJ-40: Implicature, truth, and meaning
Authors: Horn Laurence
Published: July 2010

40-plus years ago Paul Grice initiated modern pragmatics by defining a relation of conversational implicature within a general theory of cooperation and rationality. While critics have disputed the formulation and derivation of Gricean principles, the overall framework, with appropriate emendations, remains the most natural and explanatory approach to predicting constraints on lexical incorporation, the behavior of scalar predicates, pragmatic strengthening, and other linguistic phenomena. Despite recent arguments for an enriched conception of propositional content, a range of real and fictional exchanges bearing on the distinction between lying and misleading supports the neo-Gricean view of an austere conception of what is said.
Inferentialism and the Compositionality of Meaning
Authors: Peregrin Jaroslav
Published: July 2010

Inferentialism is a species of use-theory of meaning, which, however, identifies meanings neither with regularities of usage, nor with underlying dispositions, but rather with 'rules' of usage. is is, of course, underlain by the picture of language as an essentially rule governed enterprise. One of the frequent challenges to the inferentialist picture is that it cannot come up with a notion of meaning that would be compositional. In this paper I address this objection (as well as some other, related ones) and I show that it stems from a miscontrual of the inferentialist standpoint.
A Genre Approach to the Study of Im-politeness
Authors: Blitvich Pilar Garcés-Conejos
Published: July 2010

This paper argues that genre notions, as understood by (Fairclough, 2003), can provide an overarching unit of analysis to accommodate both top-down and bottom-up analyses of impoliteness. These notions are here applied to the study impoliteness within an institutional genre: news interviews. Impoliteness is seen as the driving force behind a new genre, "news as confrontation", whose communicative goal is to reaffirm a view of the world. The multifunctionality of impoliteness in this context has been related to a mismatch between the introduction of impoliteness as a novel staple in the news as confrontation shows, and the unchanged social expectations of politeness as the default term in social interaction. At the level of the relationship between interviewee and interviewer, impoliteness manifests itself both at the lexico-grammatical level and interactionally. However, impoliteness is used to create rapport between the interviewer and the overhearing audience. Thus, incivility toward those guests who differ ideologically from the audience has to be assessed as rapport building, and seen as constitutive rather than disruptive of communal life. I provide two examples of the new genre by providing an in-depth analysis of two interviews by Bill O'Reilly for Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor the epitome of news as confrontation shows.
Pragmatics in Business Discourse: Mapping Territories, Diffusion and Adaptation
Authors: Perren Lew
Published: July 2010

In the IRP inaugural issue the editors highlighted that pragmatics is often an extra perspective subsumed into contexts and frames driven by other disciplines; they welcomed the acceleration of diffusion but warned against the possible distortion of "corner-stone" principles. This article maps the territory of business discourse studies and explores the diffusion of pragmatic ideas (deixis, implicature, speech acts, politeness, etc.). This leads to discussion of the nature of engagement and suggestions for the future.
It Is in the Nature of the Colours
Authors: Da Pos Osvaldo , Albertazzi Liliana
Published: July 2010

This study corroborates the view that perceptual categorization does not require linguistic categories, and simple tasks like ordering colours on the basis of their similarities evince well-structured perceptual categories, defined relatively to visual perception and independently from experience, language and higher-level cognition. The independence of these categories from experience, language, and higher-level cognition would be an argument for their naturalness, and hence for their universality, and for their role in shaping language itself. On the other hand, the influence of language on colour perception would come about by facilitating perception-controlled behaviours. The ordering procedure which rests on perceptual similarity yields a colour system in which perceptual categories are implicit and yet clear and stable. In fact, it shows that whatever speakers in whatever language community share the same experience of colour. The arguments presented favour the 'universalist' thesis and are important in regard to both the research methodology and interpretation of the experimental data. The study's distinctive features are the interdisciplinary nature of its approach, the gestaltist theoretical and methodological conception adopted, and the concept of the naturalness of colour advanced and discussed.
Maniatis's Arguments about Impossibilities and Rigging in Hammad et al. (2008): the Importance of Pizlo (2008)
Authors: Hammad Sherief , Kennedy John
Published: July 2010

Lydia Maniatis (2009) adroitly argues our theories of a perspective illusion to do with angles are rigged in favour of our conclusions. Nice point. She develops useful alternative accounts of our illusion. However, her rigging argument involves the Bishop Berkeley induction problem. In response, we point out 2D features can specify 3D shapes. Counter to her induction problem, we argue specification requires a 3D environment of a particular, restricted kind, resulting in meaningful 2D features, as in the landmark Pizlo (2008) treatise.
Fechner's Law: Where Does the Log Transform Come From?
Authors: Laming Donald
Published: July 2010

This paper looks at Fechner's law in the light of 150 years of subsequent study. In combination with the normal, equal variance, signal-detection model, Fechner's law provides a numerically accurate account of discriminations between two separate stimuli, essentially because the logarithmic transform delivers a model for Weber's law. But it cannot be taken to be a measure of internal sensation because an equally accurate account is provided by a χ2 model in which stimuli are scaled by their physical magnitude. The logarithmic transform of Fechner's law arises because, for the number of degrees of freedom typically required in the χ2 model, the logarithm of a χ2 variable is, to a good approximation, normal. This argument is set within a general theory of sensory discrimination.
Postcolonial On/scenity: The Sexualization of Political Space in Post-Independence Ukraine
Authors: Romanets Maryna
Published: July 2010

The article focuses on the image-driven constructions of the political that bring sexual scenarios into the Ukrainian public sphere. The upsurge and incorporation of sexually explicit iconography into diverse popular cultural forms signify a strategic move against the sedimented holdovers from the Soviet totalitarian regime and are concomitant with the rise of a new social identity shaped in accordance with a changing societal structure.
What Is Ukrainian about Ukraine's Pop Culture?: The Strange Case of Verka Serduchka
Authors: Yekelchyk Serhy
Published: July 2010

The Ukrainian cross-dressing and language-mixing pop star Verka Serduchka (played by male actor Andrii Danylko) is the most controversial product of Ukrainian post-Soviet mass culture. Ukrainian nationalists reject Serduchka as a parody of their nation, while Russians took umbrage at her 2007 Eurovision entry, which allegedly contained the words “Russia goodbye.” This article interprets the character of Serduchka as a jester, who makes audiences laugh at their own cultural stereotypes and prejudices, and at the same time as a representative of Ukraine's living folk culture reflecting an ambiguous national identity of this essentially bilingual country.
Bringing the Polluters Back In
Authors: Grant Don , Trautner Mary Nell , Downey Liam , Thiebaud Lisa
Published: July 2010

Environmental justice scholars have suggested that because chemical plants and other hazardous facilities emit more pollutants where they face the least resistance, disadvantaged communities face a special health risk. In trying to determine whether race or income has the bigger impact on a neighborhood’s exposure to pollution, however, scholars tend to overlook the facilities themselves and the effect of their characteristics on emissions. In particular, how do the characteristics of facilities and their surrounding communities jointly shape pollution outcomes? We propose a new line of environmental justice research that focuses on facilities and how their features combine with communities’ features to create dangerous emissions. Using novel fuzzy-set analysis techniques and the EPA’s newly developed Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators, we test the influence of facility and community factors on chemical plants’ health-threatening emissions. Contrary to the idea that community characteristics have singular, linear effects, findings show that facility and community factors combine in a variety of ways to produce risky emissions. We speculate that as chemical firms experiment with different ways of producing goods and externalizing pollution costs, new “recipes of risk” are likely to emerge. The question, then, will no longer be whether race or income matters most, but in which of these recipes do they matter and how.
Applying motivational interviewing (MI) in counselling obese and overweight children and parents in Swedish child healthcare
Authors: Söderlund Lena L , Malmsten Janna , Bendtsen Preben , Nilsen Per
Published: July 2010

Objective: To evaluate how a motivational interviewing (MI) training course for child healthcare nurses in Sweden affected their work with children’s weight issues and their attitudes to MI.

Design: Cross-sectional survey, descriptive design.

Setting: Nurses were recruited from 33 different child healthcare centres in Östergötland, Sweden.

Method: Seventy-six nurses who had participated in an MI training course (held in 2008) were approached one year later to answer a questionnaire by telephone. Most questions concerned the respondents’ routine use of MI in clinical practice and their attitudes towards MI as a method.

Results: The response rate was 82 per cent. Nearly half of the nurses had changed the content and structure of their discussions regarding weight issues. Three-quarters of the nurses stated that they had sufficient time to use MI and that they had support from leadership and colleagues to use MI in their routine practice. The nurses’ attitudes to MI were positive, especially their perception that MI was consistent with their values and was better than traditional advice-giving approaches. Most MI techniques were found to be simple to use: 78 per cent found it very or quite simple to listen actively, 63 per cent believed it was very or quite simple to summarize parents’ opinions, 63 per cent found it very or quite simple to pay attention to parents’ change talk, and 60 per cent said that it was very or quite simple to ask permission before providing information.

Conclusion: MI training can have a substantial effect on child healthcare nurses’ clinical work on paediatric weight issues.
Stories to communicate risks about tobacco
Authors: Williams Jessica H , Green Melanie C , Kohler Connie , Allison Jeroan J , Houston Thomas K
Published: July 2010

Objective: To evaluate the construct and criterion validity of the Video Transportation Scale (VTS).

Setting: Inpatient service of a safety net hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.

Method: We administered the VTS in the context of a randomized controlled trial of a DVD-delivered narrative-based intervention (stories) designed to encourage smoking cessation among hospitalized patients.

Results: Factor analysis yielded a two-factor solution relating to engagement and attentional focus. Patients receiving the stories-based intervention had a higher score for engagement than control but stories patients and controls did not differ in reported attentional focus. The engagement factor demonstrated predictive validity in that patients with higher scores were more likely to report quitting smoking at two weeks.

Conclusion: The VTS provides a rapid assessment of transportation that can be used in applied settings using video-based narratives.
Correlation Between Morphology and Notched Impact Strength of Microcellular Foamed Polycarbonate
Authors: Bledzki Andrzej Kornelius , Rohleder Martin , Kirschling Hendrik , Chate Andris
Published: July 2010

Polycarbonate has the reputation of having a tough breaking behavior, but it is widely unknown that this applies only to special conditions. The impact strength of polycarbonate depends on the temperature, thickness (with a tough brittle transition as thickness increases), contribution of notch tip radius, impact speed, physical blowing agent, molecular weight of the polymer, and processing parameters. Research results indicate that microcellular foams produced by injection molding with physical blowing agent (MuCell TM Technology by Trexel) show a significantly higher notched impact strength than compact polycarbonate if the compact material is brittle under the same testing parameters. However, if the compact polycarbonate breaks toughly, the notched impact strength of the foamed material is always lower. Therefore, it is highly important to pay attention to the testing parameters and conditions when comparing the toughness of the foam with that of the compact material. The toughness of microcellular foams has similar properties like PC/ABS and PC/PP blend systems, which provides the possibility to combine the higher impact strength with the advantages of microcellular foaming such as weight reduction, lower shrinkage, shorter cycle times, lower clamp forces, and reduced melt viscosity. In order to use technologies and conditions, which are applied in the polymer industry as well, all materials were produced by an injection molding process. Special processing technologies such as gas counter pressure and precision mold opening were used in order to reach microcellular foam structures with cell diameters around 10 μm. These technologies yield exactly adjustable foam morphologies. Special morphologies are required to improve the notched impact strength of the foamed material. Two different equivalent models were extracted from the analyses, which indicate a significantly higher notched impact strength than the compact material under the same testing conditions. The knowledge of the ideal foam morphologies enables the industry to produce foamed materials with improved mechanical properties.
VirtualMesh: an emulation framework for wireless mesh and ad hoc networks in OMNeT++
Authors: Staub Thomas , Gantenbein Reto , Braun Torsten
Published: July 2010

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) have proven to be a key technology for increased network coverage of Internet infrastructures. The development process for new WMN protocols and architectures is typically split into evaluation by network simulation and testing of a prototype in a test-bed. Testing in simulation often requires the developer to write software that is not directly portable to test-beds, whereas pure prototype testing on real hardware is time consuming and expensive. Irrepressible external interferences can occur, which make debugging difficult. Moreover, the test-bed usually supports only a limited number of test topologies and sites. Finally, mobility tests are impractical. Therefore, we propose VirtualMesh as a novel testing architecture, which can be used before evaluating in a real test-bed. It provides instruments to test the real communication software, including the network stack inside a controlled environment. VirtualMesh has been implemented by capturing real traffic through a virtual interface at the mesh nodes. The traffic is then redirected to the network simulator OMNeT++. In our experiments, VirtualMesh has proven to be scalable, to have minimal influence on throughput and to introduce only negligible delays (less than 0.4 ms per hop). Hence, it is a valuable tool for protocol and application developers to test their software prior to the final deployment.
Interaction in group oral assessment: A case study of higher- and lower-scoring students
Authors: Gan Zhengdong
Published: July 2010

This article examines the interactional work in which two groups of secondary ESL students engaged to achieve and sustain participation in group oral assessment, which is designed to assess a student’s interactive communication skills in a school-based assessment context. The in-depth observation of the ways in which participants co-constructed talk-in-interaction led to the discovery of the particular pattern of speech exchange within each group.Within the higher-scoring group, the students engaged constructively and contingently with one another’s ideas, demonstrating a range of speech functions such as suggestions, agreement or disagreement, explanations, and challenges, which resulted in opportunities for substantive conversation and genuine communication to be engineered. Within the lower-scoring group, the resulting interactions appeared more structured, apparently as a result of the pre-set prompts that were originally set for the purpose of facilitating within-group discussion. However, a picture emerges of lower-scoring group members naturally engaging in negotiation of meaning over linguistic impasses, which turned out to serve as the stimulus to collaborative dialogue. There is also evidence of lower-scoring group members assisting each other through co-construction both to find the right linguistic forms and to express meaning. The nature of these interactions suggests that the group oral assessment format, as operationalized in this context, can authentically reflect students’ interactional skills and their moment-by-moment construction of social and linguistic identity. However, the lack of contingent development of topical talk within the lower-scoring group implies that the assessor’s good intentions in providing pre-set prompts may end up restricting students’ performance. The risk of such task/topic-related effects on the quality of student discourse and interaction warrants further research.
Validation of automated scores of TOEFL iBT tasks against non-test indicators of writing ability
Authors: Cushing Weigle Sara
Published: July 2010

Automated scoring has the potential to dramatically reduce the time and costs associated with the assessment of complex skills such as writing, but its use must be validated against a variety of criteria for it to be accepted by test users and stakeholders. This study approaches validity by comparing human and automated scores on responses to TOEFL® iBT Independent writing tasks with several non-test indicators of writing ability: student self-assessment, instructor assessment, and independent ratings of non-test writing samples. Automated scores were produced using e-rater ®, developed by Educational Testing Service (ETS). Correlations between both human and e-rater scores and non-test indicators were moderate but consistent, providing criterion-related validity evidence for the use of e-rater along with human scores. The implications of the findings for the validity of automated scores are discussed.
Explaining ESL essay holistic scores: A multilevel modeling approach
Authors: Barkaoui Khaled
Published: July 2010

This study adopted a multilevel modeling (MLM) approach to examine the contribution of rater and essay factors to variability in ESL essay holistic scores. Previous research aiming to explain variability in essay holistic scores has focused on either rater or essay factors. The few studies that have examined the contribution of more than one factor to variability in essay scores relied on analytic techniques that do not reflect the nested structure of essay ratings. One goal for this article is to illustrate the use and potential contributions of MLM to research on essay score variability. The study included 31 experienced and 29 novice raters who each rated a set of essays holistically and analytically. Scores were analyzed using MLM to examine the associations between essay features and holistic scores and the impact of rater experience on both essay holistic scores and these associations. The experienced raters assigned lower scores and gave more importance to linguistic accuracy than did the novices. Novices gave more importance to argumentation and their scores exhibited more variability. The article concludes by highlighting the value of MLM in identifying and estimating the contributions of various individual, textual and contextual factors in the rating context to variability in ESL essay scores.
Laser transmission welding of high-performance polymers and reinforced composites - a fundamental study
Authors: Jaeschke Peter , Herzog Dirk , Haferkamp Heinz , Peters Christian , Herrmann Axel S
Published: July 2010

This article presents investigations into the weldability of high-performance polymers and carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics (CFRP) using laser transmission welding techniques. Fundamental studies of the absorption characteristics of CFRP as joining partner and the heat distribution within the surface due to laser impact have been performed. The welding process has been analyzed with respect to the properties of the weld seam and lap shear strength tests have been realized for different material combinations.
Effect of filler composition and incorporation of additives on the mechanical properties of polypropylene composites with high loading lignocellulosic materials
Authors: Aminullah A. , Syed Mustafa SJ , Nor Azlan MR , Mohd. Hafizi N , Mohd. Ishak ZA , Rozman HD
Published: July 2010

The mechanical properties of wood polymer composites consisting of polypropylene and mixed sawdust of meranti shorea spp. dominant and rice husk filler have been studied. Three different filler loadings of 50, 60, and 70 wt% were used and the process of compounding and extrusion was carried out using a twin-screw extruder. Increase in flexural modulus and tensile modulus are observed while tensile strength, elongation at break, flexural strength, and Izod impact decrease with increasing filler loading. Poor interaction between wood filler and the plastics is believed to be the main reason for the decreasing trend. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was used in the formulation to improve the interfacial adhesion between the two components. Addition of the MAPP shows some improvement, particularly at 1%, and further increment of the MAPP did not show any significant impact on the properties tested.
Contact angle of untreated/treated kaolin and its correlation with the mechanical properties of PP-kaolin composites
Authors: Yusoff NSM , Ahmad MSB , Akil HM , Ariffin KS , Ariffin A.
Published: July 2010

This research relates the effect of contact angle and surface free energy on the mechanical properties of chemically treated and untreated kaolin filler polypropylene (PP) composites. The contact angle of untreated as well as treated kaolin filler samples was obtained using thin layer wicking technique and Washburn’s equation. The information recorded is incorporated into the Young’s equation to obtain the value of surface free energy. The interfacial adhesion of the composite was quantitatively analyzed by using the Pukanszky model. Treated and untreated kaolin filler samples were compounded with PP in a Brabender Plasticorder to produce a PP—kaolin composite. The compound consists of various filler contents ranging 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%. Tensile, flexural, and impact tests show that treated samples have stronger mechanical properties than untreated PP—kaolin composite. The thin layer wicking technique shows that for treated kaolin samples, a high contact angle is obtained. The surface energy obtained was also low for treated kaolin samples. A conclusion could be made here that high contact angle will have lower surface energy which will then lead to an increase in compatibility of kaolin filler in the composite. Increase in compatibility will increase the mechanical property, which is portrayed by treated PP—kaolin composite samples.
Complementary nutrient effects of separately collected human faeces and urine on the yield and nutrient uptake of spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
Authors: Kutu Funso R , Muchaonyerwa Pardon , Mnkeni Pearson NS
Published: July 2010

A glasshouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the combined use of separately collected human faeces and urine as fertilizer for spinach ( Spinacia oleracea) production. Seven human faeces N : urine N combinations (1 : 7 to 7 : 1) each supplying 200 kg N ha—1 were evaluated along with sole human faeces, sole urine, inorganic fertilizer and an unamended control. Complementary application of the two resources, human faeces and urine, increased fresh and dry matter yields only in treatments having high proportions of urine. Nitrogen uptake followed the same trend but the opposite trend occurred for P uptake indicating that urine was a better source of N whereas human faeces were the better source of P. Potassium uptake was not influenced by the two resources. The minimal improvement observed in the fertilizer value of human faeces when co-applied with urine suggested that co-application of the two resources may not give an added yield advantage when compared with sole human faeces.
Emission of greenhouse gases from home aerobic composting, anaerobic digestion and vermicomposting of household wastes in Brisbane (Australia)
Authors: Chan Yiu C , Sinha Rajiv K , Weijin Wang
Published: July 2010

This study investigated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from three different home waste treatment methods in Brisbane, Australia. Gas samples were taken monthly from 34 backyard composting bins from January to April 2009. Averaged over the study period, the aerobic composting bins released lower amounts of CH4 (2.2 mg m- 2 h-1) than the anaerobic digestion bins (9.5 mg m-2 h-1) and the vermicomposting bins (4.8 mg m-2 h -1). The vermicomposting bins had lower N2O emission rates (1.2 mg m-2 h- 1) than the others (1.5—1.6 mg m-2 h -1). Total GHG emissions including both N2O and CH4 were 463, 504 and 694 mg CO2-e m- 2 h-1 for vermicomposting, aerobic composting and anaerobic digestion, respectively, with N2O contributing >80% in the total budget. The GHG emissions varied substantially with time and were regulated by temperature, moisture content and the waste properties, indicating the potential to mitigate GHG emission through proper management of the composting systems. In comparison with other mainstream municipal waste management options including centralized composting and anaerobic digestion facilities, landfilling and incineration, home composting has the potential to reduce GHG emissions through both lower on-site emissions and the minimal need for transportation and processing. On account of the lower cost, the present results suggest that home composting provides an effective and feasible supplementary waste management method to a centralized facility in particular for cities with lower population density such as the Australian cities.
Falls Communication Patterns Among Nursing Staff Working in Long-Term Care Settings
Authors: Wagner Laura M. , Damianakis Thecla , Mafrici Nina , Robinson-Holt Krista
Published: July 2010

Effective fall-risk communication both among staff and between staff and family members is vital for ensuring the safety of residents in long-term care (LTC) settings. This study uses focus group methodology to investigate how information about falls is identified, communicated, and responded to by licensed staff (registered nurses/registered practical nurses) and unlicensed staff (personal support workers) in four LTC facilities. The authors report on the major themes that emerged throughout the focus groups relating to falls management and report on similarities and differences in the communication processes between the two sampled groups. Results highlight communication of the resident’s fall risk, reporting procedures to staff and family members, care plan communication and adherence information, a falls quality improvement knowledge deficit, and barriers to falls quality improvement. Recommendations toward improved communication networks among diverse LTC staff to enhance fall-reduction efforts in LTC settings are provided.
The Impact of Work Environment on Telephone Advice Nursing
Authors: Reinhardt Anita C.
Published: July 2010

Telephone advice nursing (TAN) is part of a current effort to improve patient access while reducing cost and encouraging self-care. However, the environment in which TAN occurs can significantly affect both nurse and patient outcomes. This research builds on findings from a large health maintenance organization study by Valanis et al. in which questionnaires and call descriptions were used to correlate TAN nurse and caller/patient perceptions of calls at three regional sites. The survey tools were used to identify nurse perceptions of their work environments (WEs) as well as caller perceptions of using the advice service. The sample included 88 nurse questionnaires and 865 caller questionnaires. Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed significant site perception differences in the WE of stress, communication, and autonomy, whereas no significant differences were noted in collegial relationships and organizational support. Each site was also determined to be a unique predictor of patient perceptions of satisfaction with the advice. Findings indicate nursing professionals act as a filter to mask stressful WE effects experienced by nurses and ensure patient outcomes thereby supporting patient satisfaction with the service.
Perceived Stress Among Nursing and Administration Staff Related to Accreditation
Authors: Elkins Gary , Cook Teresa , Dove Jacqueline , Markova Denka , Marcus Joel D. , Meyer Tricia , Rajab M. Hassan , Perfect Michelle
Published: July 2010

Background: Nurses in hospital administration and management positions may experience workplace stress, which can have important consequences on the health and well-being. Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of perceived stress on nursing hospital management and administrative employees of a large health care organization before and after a review by The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Methods: A total of 100 hospital employees were randomly selected to complete questionnaires assessing their perception of stress and its effect on their well-being before and after the site review. They were also asked to rate their subjective experience of sleep, anxiety, depression, and job satisfaction. Results: Perceived stress was significantly related to employees’ increased health concerns, symptoms of depression and anxiety, interpersonal relationships, and job satisfaction ( p = .003). Conclusions: Hospital accreditation reviews may increase perceived stress and appears to be related to emotional and physical well-being. Application: The implications include evidence there is a need for organizations to initiate corrective action to help nurses in administrative roles to cope with increased levels of job strain, minimize potential psychological and physiological consequences, and preserve job satisfaction.
Lovastatin Inhibits Gap Junctional Communication in Cultured Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells
Authors: Shen Jing , Wang Li-hong , Zheng Liang-rong , Zhu Jian-hua , Hu Shen-jiang
Published: July 2010

Background: Gap junctions, which serve as intercellular channels that allow the passage of ions and other small molecules between neighboring cells, play an important role in vital functions, including the regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and development. Statins, the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzymeA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, have been shown to inhibit the migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) leading to an antiproliferative effect. Recent studies have shown that statins can reduce gap junction protein connexin43 (Cx43) expression both in vivo and in vitro. However, little work has been done on the effects of statins on gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC). We hypothesized in this study that lovastatin inhibits vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) migration through the inhibition of the GJIC. Methods: Rat aortic SMCs (RASMCs) were exposed to lovastatin. Vascular smooth muscle cells migration was then assessed with a Transwell migration assay. Gap junctional intercellular communication was determined by using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) analysis, which was performed with a laser-scanning confocal microscope. Results: The migration of the cultured RASMCs were detected by Transwell system. Cell migration was dose-dependently inhibited with lovastatin. Compared with that in the control (110 ± 26), the number of migrated SMCs was significantly reduced to 72 ± 24 (P < .05), 62 ± 18 (P < .01), and 58 ± 19 (P < .01) at the concentration of 0.4, 2, and 10 umol/L, per field. The rate of fluorescence recovery (R) at 5 minutes after photobleaching was adopted as the functional index of GJIC. The R- value of cells exposed to lovastatin 10 umol/L for 48 hours was 24.38% ± 4.84%, whereas the cells in the control group had an R- value of 36.11% ± 10.53%, demonstrating that the GJIC of RASMCs was significantly inhibited by lovastatin (P < .01). Smaller concentrations of lovastatin 0.08 umol/L did not change gap junction coupling (P > .05). Conclusions: These results suggest that lovastatin inhibits migration in a dose-dependent manner by attenuating JIC. Suppression of gap junction function could add another explanation of statin-induced antiproliferative effect.
What Will We Have Ethnography Do?
Authors: Lassiter Luke Eric , Campbell Elizabeth
Published: July 2010

In this essay, we engage current discussions about refunctioning ethnography along lines that are meant to reimagine larger trajectories of ethnographic theory and practice. While these discussions are complicated and involved, much attention has been focused on refunctioning the mythological residue of Malinowksian modes of fieldwork from which springs trends for apprenticing graduate students to do and write up fieldwork. What has received less attention in these discussions are two other related tendencies on which we focus here: the first concerns connecting current leanings toward collaborative ethnographic activisms, in particular, with those contemporary performances of ethnography that surface from Boasian-situated histories; the second concerns connecting these contemporary performances as they articulate in practice, with not only graduate, doctoral-level training in ethnography but also emerging impulses for teaching and learning ethnography at all levels, including undergraduate instruction.