Shelby Stivale
Senior Writer Shelby Stivale is a New Jersey girl at heart and loves all things TV. She often refers to herself as a reality star without the show and calls the Met Gala her Super Bowl. She's commonly found wearing cheetah print, reading a young adult novel or bragging about being an avid One Direction fan since their 2010 debut.
Work or writing background leading to expertise
She joined the entertainment industry as a writer and reporter in the summer of 2017 when interning for TigerBeat Magazine. Since then, she's gained experienced in both print and digital publications. She also had a brief stint in the public relations industry before realizing that her heart lies with being a writer.
Over the years, Shelby has interviewed celebrities such as Vanessa Hudgens, Charli and Dixie D'Amelio, among others.
Shelby has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Indiana University, where she graduated in 2018.
She's worked as an intern and editor for TigerBeat magazine and had a brief stint at beauty public relations firm Behrman Communications before being hired at J-14. Since then, Shelby has become a senior writer for the website and her byline can also be found on Life & Style, In Touch and Us Weekly.
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Wallabies have broken All Blacks drought, but they still need spring reign
Australian rugby
By Matt Burke
November 10, 2017 — 7.31pm
There's really only one phrase to sum up the Wallabies' home internationals in 2017: if only.
If only they won the restart in Dunedin. If only they held on to that lead against South Africa in Perth. If only they were able to pinch a win on the Highveld in Bloemfontein.
Long time coming: Stephen Moore embraces Tom Robertson as the Wallabies celebrate a win over New Zealand - finally. Credit:AAP
The year could have been so different.
Take away the first 50 minutes in Sydney, where statisticians were frantically reaching for the record books and anything looked possible, Australia might just have been in with a chance of wresting the Bledisloe Cup and the Rugby Championship away from the Kiwis.
Missing: Israel Folau won his third John Eales Medal recently, so who will step up in his absence on the spring tour? Credit:AAP
No, really.
Remember, Australia went within two minutes and 20-odd seconds of a famous victory in Dunedin.
Sure, they were 54-6 down after an unspeakably bad start in Sydney, and the win in Brisbane was in a dead rubber, but if only ...
The words that keeps springing to mind are frustrating. There were moments of brilliance, there were moments of heartache and there were moments of madness – all culminating with that win in Brisbane.
Prior to that game, New Zealand coach Steve Hansen said any team that beats the All Blacks can hang their hat on that win and turn a mediocre year into something so much better.
Never a truer word was spoken as the Wallabies finally broke the New Zealand hoodoo and gave their long-suffering fans something to remember.
So, how much have the Wallabies improved this year?
There is no doubt they have made significant progress, especially when you take into account where they started in the June Test window. The loss to Scotland was embarrassing and the performance against Italy in Brisbane not much better.
We all held our breath when they ran out for the Bledisloe opener.
The players certainly leave nothing out on the paddock; you can't take that away from them.
But the thing that is lacking is consistency. Too often this year they got caught up in the fantasy of running the ball and the result was they often made things much harder for themselves.
The top teams have the ability to change a game plan on the run. Our guys can't, just yet.
Their game plan is quite predictable: run, run and run again. There is no – or limited – game management as far as kicking goes, and this can be so effective in building pressure. They employed a limited kicking game in Dunedin, which produced positive results, but never revisited it again with any effect. Not having this in their arsenal gives too many easy outs for opponents. I wonder if this will change at all when they hit a European winter?
So the biggest test for the Wallabies this year won't be against the All Blacks – it is still to come on the spring tour. Tests against Wales (overnight), Scotland and England, all without three-time John Eales Medallist Israel Folau, will tell us a lot more about where they really are.
Folau has carried the team at times this year on the back of his record 12 tries and, yes, he has benefited from Beale's return, but his ability to turn nothing into something is quite extraordinary.
Who will be the player to stand up in Folau's absence? Will Beale be the one to spark a mini Folau-aissance? I think he will do a fine job in a position that gives him time and space.
But can I look at that last Bledisloe game against New Zealand and say, hand on heart, the Wallabies are back? Hmmmm.
In part, yes, but this tour will ask some significant questions about where we sit in world rugby. This will be a tough end to the year, but if our boys return with wins to end 2017, they will have salvaged a good year from what looked at one stage like being a disaster.
That's it for me for 2017 – a crazy year on and off the field. Let's hope the Wallabies can finish on a high.
Matthew Burke is a columnist.Connect via Twitter.


EMT seen on video beating restrained 17-year-old boy
The video is profanity-laced as EMT Deannah Williams repeatedly punches a 17-year old patient in the face.
By: Wendy Halloran
Updated: May 17, 2018 - 7:20 PM
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Disturbing video from from several Dunwoody police officers wearing body cameras shows an emergency medical technician attacking a restrained teen patient in the back of an ambulance.
Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Wendy Halloran obtained the video after days of arguing for its release as a public record. The City of Dunwoody initially denied Halloran the video. But late Wednesday, it determined that its release would be in the public's best interest.
The boy is handcuffed behind his back, restrained at the ankles on a stretcher as Williams beats him.
Dunwoody police officer Kevin Lopez hears yelling and screaming, and he goes to the back of the ambulance to help restrain her.
The teenager, who we are not identifying, was supposed to be taken to the hospital for an evaluation.
Williams was trying to put a spit mask on him.
"That is a kid, that is a child a 17-year-old child," the officer told Williams.
"I don't care," Williams said. "He spit on me."
The officer lets her have it.
"This is your job. You do this for a living," Lopez said.
"I understand, but you're not going spit on me," Williams responded.
"It doesn't matter," Lopez said.
"Yes, it does," Williams said.
"If you don't like people spitting on you then quit," the officer said.
Soon after, officers put Williams in handcuffs and arrested her for assault and battery.
The boy's parents agreed to speak with Channel 2 Action News, on the condition of anonymity.
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"Come on, he's a child. He's a child, you know, no human being deserves that," the boy's father said.
"That had my blood boiling even more," the mother said. "I'm very appalled, they both should be held accountable, the company and also her for what she did."
Halloran reached out to American Medical Response, which issued a statement that reads:
"We were notified Saturday evening that an employee was arrested for an alleged assault in an incident related to a call for service. We are not able to comment on the ongoing investigation and defer to the police department for specifics related to the incident. We take this matter very seriously.
"The individual is no longer an employee with American Medical Response. The safety of patients in our care is of the utmost importance to us and we have hundreds of employees in the area who care for hundreds of patients in DeKalb County each day. Our paramedics have tremendous pride in what we do, and we are honored to have the responsibility to provide care for residents."
Williams was released from jail after posting bail.


Contraceptive methods shape women's sexual pleasure and satisfaction
New data from The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University demonstrate that many women think condoms undermine sexual pleasure, but those who use both hormonal contraception and condoms report higher overall sexual satisfaction.
The study authors suggest that this inconsistency reflects how women think about their contraceptive method when asked questions about two different aspects of sexuality -- sexual enjoyment and overall sexual satisfaction.
When considering overall sexual satisfaction, which goes beyond the immediate sexual moment and includes factors such as sexual self-esteem and relationship satisfaction, women who used both condoms and hormonal methods reported the highest levels of sexual satisfaction.
On the other hand, when asked directly about the effect of contraceptive methods on sexual enjoyment, women who used condoms, either alone or with hormonal methods, were far more likely to report decreased pleasure, suggesting women feel condoms make sex less pleasurable. Those who used only hormonal methods, such as the birth control pill, were unlikely to associate their method with decreased sexual pleasure.
The study, published in November's issue of Sexual Health, begins to answer questions about contraceptive methods and women's sexuality -- an area largely ignored by researchers.
"The public health community has paid little attention to women's sexual experiences with contraceptive methods, especially condoms," said Stephaine Sanders, associate director of The Kinsey Institute and a co-author of the study. "If women think condoms detract from sexual pleasure, they may be less inclined to use them consistently."
Findings include:
-- Only 4 percent of women who relied on hormonal methods of contraception reported decreased pleasure, but hormonal users reported the lowest overall sexual satisfaction scores.
-- While 23 percent of women who used both condoms and hormonal methods reported decreased pleasure, they had the highest sexual satisfaction scores.
-- Women who used condoms alone or along with a hormonal method were six to seven times more likely to report decreased sexual enjoyment compared to those who used hormonal methods only.
-- Women with no history of a sexually transmitted infection were more than twice as likely to report that their method decreased sexual pleasure.
Source: Indiana University
Citation: Contraceptive methods shape women's sexual pleasure and satisfaction (2008, December 8) retrieved 17 January 2020 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2008-12-contraceptive-methods-women-sexual-pleasure.html
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Experts: Giants' World Series success could…
Experts: Giants' World Series success could boost chances for A's move to San Jose
By Tracy Seipel | Bay Area News Group
Oakland A's co-owner Lew Wolff has been engaged in an epic battle with the San Francisco Giants, who are fighting to block his team's move to the South Bay.
But this week, as the eyes of the Bay Area were upon Texas, Wolff had nothing but kind words for his local rivals.
"I don't want to take anything away from this World Series. It's too much fun for everybody," he said Monday a few hours before the Giants took the field against the Texas Rangers for the title-clinching game.
Yet it's hard to argue that the Giants' stock hasn't been this high for the better part of a decade. And the team's soaring popularity, especially over the past few weeks, has only cemented their image as the Bay Area's dominant Major League Baseball team.
Whether their invigorated stature hurts or helps Wolff — who is hoping to persuade three-quarters of his fellow team owners to terminate the Giants territorial rights to the South Bay — depends on who you ask.
Representatives from the Giants, Major League Baseball and a special committee appointed by baseball Commissioner Bud Selig in March to study the A's options all declined to comment on the issue.
If Selig recommends a territorial change, it would go to a vote by the league's 30 team owners.
Likely to be included in the committee's report is an analysis of what kind of fan base shift might occur should the A's move to San Jose.
The Giants have insisted South Bay fans and corporate sponsors are crucial to their bottom line. Many San Jose boosters say those fears would be offset by the number of East Bay fans who would likely drive a shorter distance across the Bay Bridge to attend Giants games instead of hiking south.
At Sunday's game, Selig told a Bay Area News Group columnist that a decision on the A's would be coming "hopefully in the near future."
At least one expert Monday said the claim that an A's move to San Jose would hurt the Giants' bottom line might be difficult to prove after the San Francisco team's handsome postseason profits — as well as the prospect of an even larger boost from ticket sales and sponsorships next year.
"To the extent that the commissioner's office would be concerned about the Giants' financial well-being if the A's were allowed to move to San Jose," said Andrew Zimbalist, a Smith College economist and baseball expert, "that concern would by allayed given the success the Giants have had."
Zimbalist estimates the Giants will net from $13 million to $16 million from their share of ticket sales and concessions for the postseason and World Series.
"The owners want (a team) to be as economically successful as it can be," said Zimbalist of the A's proposed move.
"And I think fundamentally that is what Selig is looking at — if he think's it's a plus economically."
Roger Noll, a Stanford University economist who specializes in sports economics, agreed that the Giants' appearance in the Series "is more likely to help the other team (A's) than hurt them."
He said the San Francisco team's thrilling postseason run will elevate local interest in baseball overall.
Paul Staudohar, professor emeritus of business administration at Cal State East Bay, said the Giants' success will raise the stakes for the A's to provide a product that can compete for fans and sponsors.
"It will put a certain amount of pressure on the A's to try to rise to the occasion," Staudohar said. "It may provide some incentive for the A's to make a move and try to get into a new ballpark in San Jose."
Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone, who like many South Bay fans is delighted with the Giants' performance, sees only a positive effect from the Giants' success.
"Nothing but good can come from this," Stone said. "The enthusiasm of the South Bay fans should demonstrate to Selig, to San Jose and to Silicon Valley the value of having a professional baseball team" in San Jose.
Contact Tracy Seipel at 408-275-0140.
Tracy Seipel | Health reporter
Tracy Seipel is a health care writer for the Bay Area News Group. She's based at The Mercury News.
Follow Tracy Seipel	@taseipel


Color compatibility between dental structures and three different types of ceramic systems
Ioana-Sofia Pop-Ciutrila1,
Razvan Ghinea ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8865-24302,3,4,
Horatiu A. Colosi5,
Javier Ruiz-López2,
Maria M. Perez2,3,
Rade D. Paravina6 &
Diana Dudea7
To assess color compatibility between dental structures (human enamel and dentine) and three different types of ceramic systems.
Samples (1 and 2 mm-thick) of extracted tooth (containing dentine and enamel areas) and three ceramic systems with different shades and opacities (HT–High Translucent, T–Translucent) were prepared for this study: Vita Suprinity—VS (HT, T; A1, A2, A3, A3.5, B2, C2, D2) (Vita Zahnfabrik); Vita Enamic—VE (HT, T; 1M1, 1M2, 2M2, 3M2) (Vita Zahnfabrik) and Noritake Super Porcelain EX-3—NKT (A1, A2, A3, A3.5, B2, C2, D2) (Kuraray Noritake Dental). Reflectance measurements of all samples were performed over black backgrounds using a non-contact spectroradiometer (SpectraScan PR-670, Photo Research) under a CIE 45°/0° geometry. CIE L*a*b* color parameters were measured and CIELAB/CIEDE2000 color differences (ΔE00/ΔE*ab) and corresponding Coverage Error (CE) of ceramic system for dentine or enamel samples were calculated. Color data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA and post-hoc multiple comparisons tests. CE values were interpreted by comparisons with available 50:50% acceptability color threshold (AT) for dentistry.
Statistically significant differences in lightness were found among all ceramic systems and human dentine (p < 0.001), while no significant differences were registered between enamel and VSHT, T and VEHT. 1 mm dentine showed no statistical differences with VST and VSHT for a* coordinate, while 2 mm dentine showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) with VEHT. Thin samples (1 mm) of dentine and enamel showed significant statistical differences (p < 0.05) for b* coordinate with less translucent materials (NKT, VET and VST). For dentine samples, none of the ceramic materials provided a CE lower than AT. VSHT provided the best CE for 1 mm-thick (CE00 = 1.7, CEab = 1.9) and for 2 mm-thick (CE00 = 2.3; CEab = 2.5) enamel samples.
Color coordinates of evaluated esthetic ceramic systems were statistically different from those of human dentine in almost all cases. The evaluated ZrO2 lithium silicate glass–ceramic (VS), with its two levels of translucency, provided lower CE values with human enamel samples while conventional feldspathic ceramic (NKT) and hybrid ceramic systems (VE) demonstrated a better color compatibility with dentin samples.
The wide range of available all-ceramic systems, with ever improving mechanical and optical properties, are trying to reproduce, to a great extent, the properties of natural dental structures [1, 2].
The complexity of tooth color, however, seems difficult to achieve by any existing restorative material. Light reaching tooth surface is partly absorbed, diffused, transmitted or reflected by hard dental structures. Recent research revealed that these physical optical phenomena, occurring at the surface and inside tooth structures, are strongly influenced by the tooth type [3]. Nowadays, ceramic systems provide different opacities and a large palette of colors, aiming to cope with any clinical situation and to act as "biomimetic", with similar optical and mechanical properties as those of the tissues being replaced. However, these materials must be carefully handled, as important color variations were observed between the same shades of different lot numbers and between brands with similar shade designation, which can influence the esthetic outcome of the final restoration [4].
Conventional feldspathic ceramic is considered to be the most translucent ceramic material, the "gold standard" in esthetic dentistry, but on the other hand is brittle and has a very low resistance to fracture [5, 6]. Successful esthetic outcomes in the reconstruction of anterior teeth are also atributed to glass–ceramics with leucite and lithium disilicate reinforced crystals [7]. It was proven that their mechanical and physical properties are better than those of classical feldspar ceramics [8].
Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing techniques (CAD/CAM) have gained ground over the years. Using these procedures, several materials with large clinical indications, including zirconia, alumina, lithium silicate and disilicate based ceramics can be fast and easy milled [9,10,11]. Hybrid ceramics, made up of leucite based ceramic network reinforced by zirconia and interconected with an acrylate polymer network are also available as CAD/CAM blocks. It was proven that they have a higher damage tolerance and a lower elastic modulus, hardness and stiffness than other indirect restorative ceramic materials [12, 13]. However, when compared to glass–ceramics, feldspathic ceramics and resin composites, their translucency is lower [14].
Zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate glass–ceramic, containing more than 10% Zr has been recently introduced for aesthetic reconstruction of posterior teeth. This CAD/CAM processed material proved to be strong, fracture resistant and natural looking, having similar optical properties [10].
However, there is a limited number of studies that report on the color compatibility of these ceramics with the hard tissues they are supposed to replace. Therefore, it is essential to further investigate the optical and colorimetric properties of these materials, in comparison with the enamel and dentine, in an effort to understand their behavior and to provide a scientific support for clinical decision-making.
In esthetic dentistry, the choice of the most appriopiate material of restoration represent the keys to the succes of the final clinical result [15]. The optical color parameters as well as the translucency depend on the type of material and its thickness [16, 17]. In both research and clinical dentistry, colorimetric assessment of dental structures and materials is mainly done using the CIELAB color space and its associated total color difference formulas CIELAB (\(\Delta {E}_{ab}^{*}\)) and CIEDE2000 (\(\Delta {E}_{00}\)) [18, 19]. In the CIELAB tridimensional color representation system, each color is defined related to three colorimetric axes: L* (lightness—achromatic axis), a* (green–red axis), and b* (blue–yellow axis). In terms of color differences, even though significant correlations between the two formulas were observed [20], the CIEDE2000 color difference formula was considered to provide a better fit with human perception [21, 22].
The use of color differences in dental research is wide, covering diverse areas such as shade correspondence [23], instrumental shade matching [24], color difference thresholds [25] or performance assessment of dental shade guides through computation of Coverage Error [26]. The Coverage Error (CE) is a concept introduced in dentistry [26,27,28,29] to assess the color representation of specific shade guides (or restorative systems comprising several shades) to samples of human dental structures.
The main objective of this study was to test the color compatibility between dental structures (enamel and dentine) and three different types of ceramic systems, considered as representative for their class (ZrO2 lithium silicate machinable ceramic, hybrid ceramic and feldspathic ceramic). The null hypotheses tested were: (1) Color parameters of analysed ceramics did not differ from the corresponding values of human enamel and dentine; (2) the CE for enamel and dentine of all studied materials is below or at the clinically acceptable threshold for color in dentistry.
All-ceramic materials samples
Three different all-ceramic materials were evaluated (Table 1). A total of 132 square samples (3 per group) of approximately 1.2 and 2.2 mm thickness were fabricated from HT (high translucent) and T (translucent) Vita Suprinity (VSHT and VST, respectively) ingots and Vita Enamic (VEHT and VET, respectively) blocks (14 mm × 12 mm × 18 mm). The available shades were A1, A2, A3, A3.5, B2, C2 and D2 [according to the Vita Classical shade guide (Vita Zahnfabrik, Bad Säckingen, Germany)] for VSHT and VST and 1M1, 1M2, 2M2, 3M2 [according to the Vita 3D-Master shade guide (Vita Zahnfabrik, Bad Säckingen, Germany)] for VEHT and VET. For the Noritake Super Porcelain EX-3 (NKT) feldspathic ceramic, 42 round samples (3 per group) with 10 mm diameter and approximately 1.2 and 2.2 mm thickness were fabricated with shades A1, A2, A3, A3.5, B2, C2 and D2 (according to the Vita Classical shade guide system).
Table 1 Shades and opacities of all ceramic materials tested
The machinable ceramic samples were obtained by cutting CAD/CAM blocks with a water-cooled diamond disk at low speed in a precision saw machine (Isomet 1000; Buehler, Lake Bluff, IL, USA). Zirconia reinforced lithium silicate glass–ceramic samples were sliced in their precrystallized condition. The slices were then submitted to a crystallization process in a furnace (Programat EP 3000; Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein), according to the manufacturers' instructions. The conventional feldspathic ceramic samples were fabricated with a porcelain sampler (Smile Line, St-Imier, Switzerland). This system facilitated the manufacturing of very precise round samples of a determined thickness (Fig. 1). The samples were fired according to the manufacturer's guidelines.
Manufacturing of feldspathic ceramic samples
All samples were finished and polished, under constant pressure by the same operator, on a grinder/polisher (Ecomet 30 Manual; Buehler, Lake Bluff, IL, USA) increasingly with wet 120-, 240-, 400-, 600-, 800-, and 1200-grit silicon carbide paper. The final thicknesses of all samples were established to 1 (± 0.2) mm and 2 (± 0.2) mm as determined with a digital micrometer (Powerfix Profi + ; OWIM, Haiger, Germany) with an accuracy of ± 0.05 mm.
Human Enamel and Dentine samples
Freshly extracted human posterior teeth obtained from a tissue bank were preserved in sodium azide solution (0.9% saline, 0.25% NaN3) prior to sectioning. Before cutting them, they were visually inspected and cleaned from debris and only those that were free of caries, restorations or any other pathological discolorations were included in the study. A low speed diamond saw (Isomet 1000; Buehler, Lake Bluff, IL, USA) was used to cut approximately 1.2 and 2.2 mm-thick sagittal bucco-lingual tooth slices, each containing both enamel and dentine substrate (Fig. 2). After the polishing and finishing procedures 1 mm (± 0.2) and 2 mm (± 0.2) thick hard tissue samples were obtained. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) (HSC-DB-14-0744) prior to the beginning of the study.
Tooth slices containing enamel and dentine substrate
The 174 ceramic samples and the 32 tooth slices of 2 different thicknesses were cleaned in an ultrasonic bath (Elmasonic S30H; Elma Schmidbauer, Singen, Germany) with distilled water for 10 min and dried under compressed air before they were measured.
Spectroradiometric measurements
Three short-term repeated reflectance measurements in the 380–780 nm range (without replacement; over a black background) were performed for each sample inside a completely dark room using a spectroradiometer (SpectraScan PR 670; Photo Research, Syracuse, NY, USA), a fiber-coupled Xe-Arc light source (66485-300; Newport Corporation, Irvine, CA, USA) and a Spectrally Calibrated Reflectance Standard (SRS-3; Photo Research, Syracuse, NY, USA). Between the samples and the black background, a saturated sucrose solution (refractive index n = 1.5 approximately) was interposed. The spectroradiometer was placed 40 cm away from the samples and the illuminating/measuring geometry corresponded to CIE 45°/0° (Fig. 3). Spectral reflectance values were converted into CIE L*a*b* color coordinates using the CIE 2º Standard Observer and the CIE D65 Standard Illuminant.
Experimental set-up used for objective color measurements of the samples
Color differences and coverage error computation
The color differences between shade samples of each ceramic systems and each dentine or enamel sample (n = 16) were calculated using both the CIELAB (\(\Delta {E}_{ab}^{*}\)) and CIEDE2000 (\(\Delta {E}_{00}\)) color difference formulas [18, 19]:
$$\Delta {E}_{ab}^{*} = \sqrt{{(\Delta {L}^{*})}^{2}+{(\Delta {a}^{*})}^{2}+{(\Delta {b}^{*})}^{2},}$$
where ΔL*, Δa* and Δb* are the differences in the respective coordinates for a pair of samples.
$$\Delta {E}_{00}={[({\frac{\Delta L\mathrm{^{\prime}}}{{K}_{L}{S}_{L}})}^{2}+({\frac{\Delta C\mathrm{^{\prime}}}{{K}_{C}{S}_{C}})}^{2}+({\frac{\Delta H\mathrm{^{\prime}}}{{K}_{H}{S}_{H}})}^{2}+{R}_{T}\left(\frac{\Delta C\mathrm{^{\prime}}}{{K}_{C}{S}_{C}}\right)\left(\frac{\Delta H\mathrm{^{\prime}}}{{K}_{H}{S}_{H}}\right)]}^{1/2}$$
where ΔL′, ΔC′ and ΔH′ are the differences in lightness, chroma and hue for a pair of samples in CIEDE2000.
Coverage error (CE) was calculated as the mean value of the minimal color differences (\({\Delta E}_{min}\)) among the color of dentine or enamel samples and the color representatives (shades) of each ceramic system, as follows [27]:
$$\mathrm{CE} = \sum \frac{{\Delta E}_{min}}{n},$$
where \({\Delta E}_{min}\) was expressed as \(\Delta {E}_{ab}^{*}\) or \(\Delta {E}_{00}\), depending on the color difference formula used, and \(n\) represents the number of dentine or enamel samples.
CE values were compared with clinically relevant 50:50% Perceptibility Thresholds—PT—(ΔE00 = 0.8; ΔE*ab = 1.2) and 50:50% Acceptability Thresholds—AT—(ΔE00 = 1.8; ΔE*ab = 2.7), as reported in a multi-center study [25].
To describe the variability of measured color parameters CIE L*,a*, and b*, the 95% confidence intervals for means and standard deviations (SD) of these variables have been computed for all investigated enamel, dentine and ceramic samples. Confidence intervals for mean CIE L*,a*, and b* have also been bootstrapped based on replications of 1000 samples. The normality of the measured color parameters has been investigated using Kolmogorov–Smirnov, Shapiro–Wilk tests and Quantile–Quantile Plots and the homogeneity of variance was assessed by Levene's test. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the mean values of L*,a*, and b* color coordinates for all ceramic and tooth samples of different opacities, shades and thicknesses. Multiple comparisons using Tamhane's error correction procedure have been performed for post-hoc comparisons of the measured color parameters between enamel, dentine and ceramic samples. The level of statistical significance has been set at α = 0.05 (SPSS Statistics 20, IBM Armonk, New York, USA).
Means, standard deviations and results of statistical analysis of CIE L*a*b* color coordinates of the evaluated materials for the two analysed thicknesses are presented in Table 2. The lightness mean values (CIE L*) of all materials ranged from 65.61 to 86.89 units for 1 mm thick samples and from 66.54 to 82.67 units for 2 mm-thick samples. Human dentine exhibited the highest lightness mean values among all materials studied, being more yellowish and reddish at the same time, independently of thickness. The decreasing order of mean CIE L* value for all studied materials was: dentine > VET > NKT > VST > VEHT > VSHT > enamel for 1 mm thickness and dentine > VET > NKT > VEHT > VST > VSHT > enamel for 2 mm thickness.
Table 2 Means and standard deviations of CIE L*a*b* values of human enamel and dentine and of all ceramic materials and shades for the two different thicknesses analyzed
The results of one-way ANOVA based on ranked data showed highly significant differences in CIE L* mean values among dentine samples of 1 or 2 mm thickness and all the other materials, including enamel (p < 0.001). In the case of enamel, for a thickness of 1 mm, the most similar values of mean lightness were encountered for VSHT and VST (p = 1.000 and 0.116, respectively), while for a thickness of 2 mm, VSHT, VST and VEHT showed no significant differences with enamel samples of the same thickness (p = 1.000, p = 0.743 and 0.482, respectively). Besides, when the 2 thicknesses of the same tooth structure were compared with each other, no significant differences in lightness were found between enamel samples of 1 and 2 mm (p = 1.000) and between dentine samples of 1 and 2 mm thickness (p = 0.966).
Highly significant differences were identified between the mean CIE a* values of 1 mm-thick dentine and enamel samples and the other materials tested (p < 0.001), excepted for VSHT (p = 0.977) and VST (p = 1.000) when compared to dentine. The correlations between dental structures and ceramic materials for CIE a* values increased with the thickness of the material, showing no significant differences (p > 0.05) between dental structures of 2 mm thickness and the 5 materials measured, except for human dentine versus NKT, VET, VST and VSHT, and human enamel versus VET (in all cases, p < 0 0.001).
CIE b* values of dentine samples revealed very close mean values to enamel samples of the same thickness (p = 1.000). For thin samples (1 mm), both dentine and enamel samples showed significant statistical differences (p < 0.05) only with the less translucent materials tested (NKT, VET and VST). No statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were found for the CIE b* chromatic coordinate between human enamel and 2 mm-thick dentine samples and all three ceramic systems studied.
CIELAB and CIEDE2000 Coverage Errors (CEab, and CE00, respectively) of the different ceramic systems studied for color of dentine or enamel samples (1 and 2 mm) are represented in Figs. 4 and 5. For 2 mm dentine samples, the lowest value of CE was registered for NKT (CE00 = 5.8; CEab = 8.4), while for 1 mm dentine samples, the lowest CE was found for the VET system (CE00 = 8.3; CEab = 11.9). In all cases and for both color difference formula used, the CE values found exceeded both PT and AT. In the case of 2 mm thick enamel samples, the best CE was exhibited by the VST ceramic system (CE00 = 2.2) and the VSHT ceramic system (CEab = 2.5), depending on the color difference formula used for computation. For 1 mm-thick enamel samples, the VSHT systems showed the lowest CE (CE00 = 1.7; CEab = 1.9). The VS systems, in it´s both translucencies (VSHT and VST), showed CE values higher than PT but lower or at AT, independently of the thickness of the sample (Figs. 4, 5).
Coverage error (CE) of all studied materials for dentine and enamel obtained using ΔE00 color difference formula
Coverage error (CE) of all studied materials for dentine and enamel obtained using ΔE*ab color difference formula
Nowadays, the increasing number of available all-ceramic materials leads to difficulties in choosing the proper material for the desired dental restoration. Aesthetic properties, along with composition and mechanical properties of restorative materials represent the main factors with an impact on the clinically optimal material selection. In the present study, the color coordinates of three types of all-ceramic materials with different opacities and different shades were comparatively evaluated with samples of human dentine and enamel of corresponding thicknesses. Being able to relate the properties of dental restoratives with human dental hard structures is of great importance [30], since the materials chosen for this study are supposed to render, in a biomimetical way, their reference model (which is undoubtedly the natural tooth). In this sense, all available shades and opacities of these three different categories of aesthetic ceramic materials (conventional feldspathic ceramic, machinable ZrO2 lithium silicate glass–ceramic and machinable hybrid ceramic) were thoroughly analysed from a colorimetric point of view.
Spectroradiometric objective color measurements are the current standard in dental research [31,32,33,34,35], since, unlike most of the others objective color measuring instruments that can be used in dental applications, they have the ability to provide highly accurate non-contact color readings, avoiding thus undesirable edge-loss errors characteristic to contact-type color measuring instruments. Spectroradiometric color readings of translucent samples (such as the samples analysed in the present study) will be affected by the background used for color measurements. Since the oral cavity is black, a matte opaque black ceramic tile was used as background for spectroradiometric measurements in this study.
The first null hypothesis of this study was partially rejected, as statistically significant differences in lightness between dentine samples and all the studied materials were registered, while for enamel, several materials (VSHT, VST and VEHT) showed no significant differences in CIE L* mean values when compared to 1, respectively 2 mm-thick samples. It is well known that lightness is strongly correlated to translucency [36]. A translucent material has lower lightness than an opaque material, especially when measured against a black background. This explains why VSHT and VEHT registered mean CIE L* values closer to enamel than to dentine. Surprisingly, VST, a material with a lower translucency (as presented by the manufacturer) revealed mean CIE L* values very close to enamel. This means that, in terms of lightness, Vita Suprinity in both versions (HT and T) is the best option, among studied materials, for replacement of enamel. This advantage may be due to lithium silicate crystals, which are slightly larger and more rounded, compared to those present in the feldspathic ceramic [37, 38]. The good balance between aluminium compounds (1.3%) and zirconia (15.5%) could also increase the L* values of this material, while preserving its translucent properties [37]. Furthermore, the glassy matrix of lithium silicate ceramic porcelain, where submicrometric crystallites of lithium metasilicates (Li2SO3) and lithium orthophospates (Li3PO4) are present, led to an increased translucency when compared to the two others ceramic systems [38]. Besides, VET obtained the highest L* mean values, the closest to the dentine ones. The opaqueness of this T version may be due to the higher amount of Al2O3 from its composition and to the crystal size (up to ~ 20 μm) and structure, which does not resemble to any particular mineral [14, 38]. According to the results of the present study, an increase in thickness, even with 1 mm, does not affect significantly the lightness of any of the materials tested.
It was reported that the reddish and yellowish appearance of ceramics depends on its thickness [39], similar to the findings reported in the present study, where mean measured values of CIE a* and b* color coordinates were higher for the 2 mm-thick samples than for the 1 mm ones for all ceramic systems analyzed. Similar to other studies [40], with an increase in thickness, the values of CIE a* coordinate shifted towards more reddish for all the materials and dental structures measured. This might be due to a higher concentration of pigments in greater thicknesses. In terms of similarity with dentine and enamel samples, for CIE a* color coordinate, the high translucent zirconia reinforced lithium silicate glass–ceramic (VSHT) turned out to be the best option for dentine in both thicknesses and for 2 mm-thick enamel samples. Furthermore, when analyzing the CIE b* coordinate, the ceramics with higher translucency (VSHT and VEHT) had a tendency to more blueish, with lower values than the other ceramic materials tested, but similar to enamel and close enough to dentine of both thicknesses and with no statistical significant differences between them. With an increase in thickness, the chromatic differences between the dental hard structures and the ceramic materials studied are disappearing, as the materials became more chromatic.
Although 1 and 2 mm-thick specimens are both clinically relevant as well as frequently used in dental research when studying color and optical properties of tooth structures (enamel or dentin) and dental materials (composites, ceramics, etc.) [23, 41,42,43], further studies including samples with different thicknesses of these all-ceramic materials should be performed in order to fully understand the relationship between shade and thickness and its influence on the final optical outcome [36]. Furthermore, a larger range of enamel and dentin samples from different types of teeth and age groups should be performed in order to confirm the present results.
Although CE is used in dentistry [26,27,28,29] mainly to assess color representation of dental shade guides, its implementation approach can be easily extended to test the color compatibility between dental ceramic systems comprising several shades and human dentine and enamel samples. Interpretation of color differences among teeth and tooth coloured materials can be done using 50:50% perceptibility (PT) and 50:50% acceptability threshold (AT) for dentistry. Recently, a consistent and systematic model for the clinical and research application and interpretation of findings related to visual thresholds was suggested [44] and is based on 50:50% PT of ΔE00 = 0.8 or ΔE*ab = 1.2 and 50:50% AT of ΔE00 = 1.8 or ΔE*ab = 2.7, as reported in a multi-center study [25]. A realistic goal for a ceramic system is to achieve a CE at or below the AT for color in dentistry. That would be clinically represented in the certainty of having, among all the shades of the same ceramic system, a color (a sample) that would grant a restoration that, from the chromatic point of view, would be clinically acceptable.
None of the ceramic materials included in this study provided a CE lower than the corresponding AT for the dentine samples. However, CEs lower or at the AT threshold were found for VSHT and VST for enamel samples of both thicknesses (Fig. 5). According to these results, the VITA Suprinity system was the only type of ceramic material, among those included in this study that provided an adequate color representation of the analyzed enamel samples.
In all cases, for corresponding thickness of dentine and enamel, all ceramic systems analysed consistently provided a better CE for enamel samples than for dentine samples, as expected, since the background used for objective color measurements was black and enamel samples are highly translucent. Therefore, the second null hypothesis of this study is also partially rejected, since the CE for enamel and dentine samples of all studied materials is higher (with few exceptions) than the clinically acceptable threshold for color in dentistry. It would be of real interest to confirm these results by comparing these different types of ceramic materials with a larger number of enamel and dentine samples of different thicknesses, obtained from different types of teeth with a large range of color. Furthermore, it cannot be disregarded that natural enamel and dentin are mainly anisotropic materials while the dental ceramics are isotropic materials. This implies that the direction of the incident light or the analysis of different parts of enamel and dentin may lead to different optical properties.
From a clinical point of view and taking into account the results of the present research, machinable ZrO2 lithium silicate glass–ceramic in its both translucency version (T and HT) could be a proper choice for veneers and crowns where only enamel and a small amount of dentine has to be replaced. Similar to previous studies [23], Vita Enamic hybrid ceramic system proved to be best suited for the reconstruction of posterior teeth, by inlays, onlays, overlays and crowns, were a deeper amount of dentine is missing and aesthetics do not represent a priority for the patient.
Color coordinates of evaluated esthetic ceramic systems were different from human dentine in almost all cases. The evaluated ZrO2 lithium silicate glass–ceramic (VITA Suprinity) with its 2 levels of translucency, provided lower CE values (better color compatibility) with human enamel samples.
Noritake Super Porcelain EX-3 conventional feldspathic ceramic and Vita Enamic hybrid ceramic systems were more color compatible with human dentine samples, although the CE of both ceramic systems exceeded the 50:50% acceptability threshold for both dentine thicknesses studied.
Computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing
CE:
Coverage error
CIE:
International Commission on Illumination
L*:
CIE lightness
a*:
CIE a* green–red chromatic coordinate
b*:
CIE b* blue–yellow chromatic coordinate
VSHT:
Vita Suprinity® high translucent CAD/CAM ceramic blocks
VST:
Vita Suprinity® translucent CAD/CAM ceramic blocks
VEHT:
Vita Enamic® high translucent CAD/CAM ceramic blocks
VET:
Vita Enamic® translucent CAD/CAM ceramic blocks
NKT:
Noritake super porcelain EX-3® conventional feldspathic ceramic
HT:
Perceptibility threshold
Acceptability threshold
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This work was supported by the Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation, CNCS – UEFISCDI (Grant Number PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2016-0742, within PNCDI III), the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Grant Number PGC2018-101904-A-I00) and the University of Granada (Grant Number A.TEP.280.UGR18).
Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 33 Motilor Street, 400001, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Ioana-Sofia Pop-Ciutrila
Department of Optics, Faculty of Science, University of Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva, s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain
Razvan Ghinea, Javier Ruiz-López & Maria M. Perez
Houston Center for Biomaterials and Biomimetics (HCBB), University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston, 7500 Cambridge St., Ste. 5350, Houston, TX, USA
Razvan Ghinea & Maria M. Perez
Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Craiova, 13 AI Cuza Street, 200585, Craiova, Romania
Razvan Ghinea
Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, Faculty of General Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Louis Pasteur Street, 400349, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Horatiu A. Colosi
Department of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics, Houston Center for Biomaterials and Biomimetics (HCBB), University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston, 7500 Cambridge St., Ste. 5350, Houston, TX, USA
Rade D. Paravina
Department of Prosthodontics and Dental Materials, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 32 Clinicilor Street, 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Diana Dudea
Javier Ruiz-López
Maria M. Perez
ISPC and RG conceived and conducted the experiment, ISPC, RG, JRL and RDP accomplished the experimental part; HAC performed the statistical analysis, ISPC and RG analyzed the results, DD, MMP, ISPC, RDP and RG supervised the writing of the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript and approved the final version.
Correspondence to Razvan Ghinea.
The study received approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (HSC-DB-14-0744).
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests and the authors do not have any financial interest in the companies or products used in this study.
Pop-Ciutrila, IS., Ghinea, R., Colosi, H.A. et al. Color compatibility between dental structures and three different types of ceramic systems. BMC Oral Health 21, 75 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-021-01404-7
Dental ceramics
Spectroradiometer


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Scooby-Doo Gets His Own Monster Truck!
by Harish Kumar | 13/05/2020
Check out this Scooby-Doo truck that is a replica of the Mystery Machine with bigger wheels
Did you hear the Scooby-Doo theme song playing out and there when looking at this car? Anyone who grew up watching the famous animated franchise named Scooby-Doo will certainly know the Mystery Machine – an iconic green and blue van decorated with orange flowers. But this 'Monstery Machine' is a lot different. Let's check out this wacky-looking van that is modified to the Mystery Machine used by the Scooby-Doo and his friends.
At first glance, we hardly recognize it as the original 1967 Dodge A100 as the car has been crazily transformed into a big tall minivan that is a special replica of the Mystery Machine used by the crew on the Scooby-Doo series. The colourful exterior paint of the car is familiar as it stays true to the iconic green and blue colour scheme of the "Mystery Machine", not to mention the flower on the front bumper, fenders and wheels.
Modified Ford EcoSport With MG Hector Inspired 360 Camera
However, this "Monstery Machine" is even more interesting than the original one. While this Scooby-Doo truck is actually a special monster truck of sorts, with that super-big wheels, it seems much like the buggy cars that will possibly drive you away from the "ghost" or any kind of threats you may encounter on your ways, in a blink. And we wonder, how many more mysteries the crew could solve with that off-road "Monstery Machine" instead of the earlier one?
This Tata Nexon Has Been Impressively Modified Based On PUBG Theme
This is a monstrous thing! The van body looks out of balance on the Dodge's chassis. The car makes use of a 318 V8 Mopar engine that sends power to all four wheels through an automatic transmission. The power, torque output of the "Monster" is not revealed but we think that it's a kind of fun-to-drive car that you can take some spin on your back yard rather than a performance-spec vehicle. Overall, it looks quite unsafe and it's illegal to drive on the public roads.
Gracefully Modified Tata Estate With Interior Befitting a Mercedes
The car was advertised on eBay where it was available for sale at a "buy-it-now" price of $15,900. Just imagine, if you park this one-of-a-kind "Monstery Machine' replica car in the driveway, you would definitely draw a whole bunch of attention from the neighbourhood.


RIP Steve Pringle 1963 – 2019
November 4, 2019 12:37AM PST
Portland, Oregon – A Portland blues icon has lost his fight with cancer. Steve Pringle passed Sunday morning at home surrounded by family and friends. Pringle taught broadcasting to many radio students at Mount Hood Community College, including KXL reporter Jacob Dean. Jacob has been gathering and organizing interviews with Pringle's former students for a special piece we were planning to air around the time of the upcoming benefit concert. This morning we want to share a small piece of that in honor of Pringle. Steve was also a radio student at MHCC almost three decades ago. Jeff Young was his teacher.
https://www.kxl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Jeff-Young-on-Steve-Pringle-LF.mp3
An all-star line-up of musicians are gathering in Pringle's honor to throw a benefit concert, "BluesMania" on November 24th at the Roseland Theatre. All proceeds of the show go to help pay for Pringle's medical bills.
As mentioned, Pringle started as a broadcasting student himself at Mt. Hood Community College before you heard him on Portland radio stations like 101-9 KINK. Pringle always loved to have fun and make you laugh. He did it on the air too.
https://www.kxl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Pringle-Funny-LF-KXL-11-4-19.mp3
Read more here:
Portland DJ And Radio Teacher Opens Up About Stage Four Cancer Diagnosis
A beloved Portland DJ and Radio Teacher is breaking his silence for the first time about his stage four cancer diagnosis.
One of his former radio students, KXL reporter Jacob Dean has the update.
https://www.kxl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pringle-Updt-wrap-1.mp3
You've heard Steve Pringle rock the blues on stations like KMHD, KINK, KGON, and at the Waterfront Bluesfest for years. Tuesday afternoon he opened up about his health on Facebook for the first time. He's been diagnosed with a very rare type of cancer: Solitary Fibrous Sarcoma. He writes it's stage four, it's terminal, there's no treatment, no cure. It's attacking his entire body, the back, pelvis, liver, and lungs. The news is rocking those close to him. Like his former Mt. Hood Community College student Jeremy Chamberlin. Chamberlin says Pringle was always a cold dude and would never feed his students B.S. If something sucked, he told you, and the kids always respected that.
Tickets are selling fast for the Blues Mania benefit concert happening next month for Pringle. Proceeds will go towards his medical bills.
There's also a new Go Fund Me Page setup to help with Pringle's medical costs, for those who can't make it to the concert.
Here's Steve Pringle's post on Facebook:
MHCC


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How on-site childcare can give companies a winning edge
At a time when the U.S. is facing labor shortage, offering on-site childcare can be one of the best ways to attract skilled talent.
Every year, parents across America participate in "take your child to work day" – an opportunity for kids to learn about how their parents earn a living.
Few companies offer parents an invitation to bring their children to the office every day, but offering on-site childcare is actually one of the best ways to attract skilled talent.
"A lack of childcare options and rigid work schedules make it difficult for many working mothers to stay in the workforce even when they want to continue advancing their careers," says Julia Georgules, Senior Vice President and Director of Research in JLL's New England region. "Companies that want to attract talent should take a close look at the benefits they offer to working parents—from expanding maternity and paternity leave to providing childcare on site."
The benefits of on-site childcare
The majority of American parents – 62 percent as of 2015 — have a hard time finding and affording high-quality child care, according to Pew Research Center. As a result, many experienced and educated women are leaving the workforce.
This is exacerbating the skilled labor shortage in the U.S., since the very women leaving are the people most qualified to fill empty roles. Right now, roughly 4.7 million women who hold bachelors or advanced degrees aren't working, compared with only 2 million unemployed men with the same credentials, according to JLL analysis of the Current Population Survey data.
Offering childcare at the office can attract women to fill stubborn vacancies for the roles that require the most experience and education.
It also directly supports employee engagement, says Georgules. JLL's Workplace – powered by Human Experience research found that 84 percent of employees who had access to on-site "spaces for small children" felt engaged at work, far exceeding the average engagement rate of 65 percent.
Childcare also seems to have an impact on overall employee satisfaction. Roughly one quarter of Fortune magazine's "Best 100 Companies to Work For" offer at least one on-site daycare center. Across all companies, the average is a mere 4-8 percent.
The poster child for the emerging trend is Patagonia, which has offered affordable, on-site childcare to all corporate employees since the 1980s. The investment appears to be paying off. In 2017, a Great Place to Work survey found 96 percent of employees are proud to work at Patagonia, and 94 percent agree the company offers special and unique benefits.
So, what does a company need to do to make take-your-child-to-work-day an everyday occurrence? If they don't wish to develop the function in-house, they have options to outsource it to workplace-oriented childcare services that manage on-site daycares, such as Bright Horizons and KinderCare Education at Work.
"It's easier for working parents to make that early morning meeting or stay for an evening event when their children are being cared for nearby," says Georgules. "While onsite childcare may only be feasible for large companies, it's a smart play for owners of multi-tenant buildings who are looking to attract office tenants."
Empowering parents with flexibility and more
Childcare is invaluable, but it isn't the only way organizations can woo working mothers.
More than half (56 percent) of organizations offer "dependent care assistance plans," which enable workers to allot up to $5,000 for childcare, pre-tax, according to the 2016 Society for Human Resource Management's National Study of Employers. These plans help offset the high cost of daycare, after-school programs or in-home care.
Employers can also encourage more mothers to re-enter the labor force by increasing paid maternity and paternity leave, offering families pre-tax health spending accounts and supporting employees' work-life balance.
Flexible work hours and locations are key to attracting talent, especially parents who need to keep school-friendly hours or to work remotely. Workplace flexibility doesn't just help them personally, however — it can also fuel them professionally.
"Trust and kindness, followed by autonomy, were rated as three of the most important factors that impact engagement at work in the Workplace: powered by Human Experience study," says Georgules. "Autonomy and trust go hand in hand. When a working mom feels like she has a choice over how and when she works, it can be incredibly empowering, and can inspire her to do the best work possible."
The benefits can be significant for employer and employee alike. Still, there's a long way to go to improve support for working mothers in the U.S.—and in turn, the broader economy.
Looking ahead: More action is needed
With fewer women returning to work after starting a family, America's chronic labor shortage is likely to worsen before it improves.
That has implications not just for women, but for the overall economy.
Right now, American businesses cover just 1 percent of the ever-rising costs of childcare. By investing more into mother-friendly benefits packages, companies could help turn the tide and attract women back to work—and inspire them to stay, too.
"Attracting and retaining employees by offering the benefits they need to stay healthy, happy, productive and fulfilled isn't just good business sense," says Georgules. "It's essential to stay ahead of the competition."
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Home » Browse » Academic journals » Ethnic, Cultural, and Area Studies Journals » Journal of East Asian Studies » Article details, "Income, Electoral Turnout, and Partisan Voting..."
Academic journal article Journal of East Asian Studies
Income, Electoral Turnout, and Partisan Voting in Taiwan
By Chang, Wen-Chun
Using data drawn from the Taiwan Social Change Survey, I investigate how citizens' incomes affect turnout and partisan voting. In contrast to studies of other countries, I find that lower-income voters are not less likely to turn out in Taiwan. Moreover, although income does not have strong effects on patterns of partisan voting in Taiwan, there is some evidence that people with income levels just below the middle-income group are less likely to vote for the left-wing party. KEYWORDS: income, electoral turnout, partisan voting, Taiwan
RISING INCOME INEQUALITY OVER THE PAST DECADES IN MANY ADVANCED and newly industrialized democracies has led to many discussions about political participation across different income groups. Participation and patterns of partisan voting are critical for shaping redistribution and social policies. Along with the fast-paced development of globalization and the high-tech knowledge economy, increasing income inequality seems to result in the political failure to provide necessary social and welfare assistance to the poor. Despite theoretical arguments based on the median-voter model (Meltzer and Richard 1981) predicting a greater degree of redistribution, growing empirical evidence (Alesina and Glaeser 2004; Corneo and Gruner 2000) suggests that governments in more free-market countries tend to offer less redistribution. This leads to the importance of understanding the pattern of political participation across different income groups in reflecting their preferences for redistribution.
Previous studies suggest that higher levels of income inequality are strongly associated with lower electoral turnout and depression of the political engagements of the poor. For example, several cross-country studies using data from more than twenty countries, including the United States and European countries, show that greater economic inequality leads to greater political disparity between rich and poor (Bartels 2008; Brady 2004; Dahl 2006; Gilens 2005; Oliver and Ha 2007; Schattschneider 1960; Solt 2008, 2010). In contrast, a few studies on European, Asian, and Latin American democracies indicate that income inequality does not have a significant impact on voter turnout (Horn 2011; Stockemer and Scruggs 2012) and that there is no systematic difference in the effect of income inequality on electoral turnout between Western and non-Western countries (Stockemer and Scruggs 2012).
However, these results mostly take the overall rates of electoral turnout to reflect citizens' political participation in advanced industrialized democracies and little is known about how individuals' political participation and partisan voting vary with their economic positions. In particular, partisan voting (voting for left-wing or right-wing parties) across different income groups remains largely unexplored for East Asian newly industrialized democracies. It is possible that there are important societal differences between advanced Western democracies and contemporary East Asian democracies that shape political institutions and people's attitudes toward their democratic systems (Blais 2006). Thus, the socioeconomic structure and voters' political behaviors in an East Asian democracy may substantially differ from those in advanced industrialized democracies.
This study investigates electoral turnout and partisan voting across different income groups, with data drawn from the 2009 Taiwan Social Change Survey (TSCS). I further examine the structural relationship between political participation and citizens' economic positions as measured by their income levels relative to the median income. The results from this study provide further insights into political participation as well as partisan voting in regard to shaping the redistribution policies in a newly industrialized democracy when income inequality continues to rise sharply.
Previous studies have identified several factors for explaining the cross-country variations in electoral turnout, such as the designs of political institutions (Gallego, Rico, and Anduiza 2012; Iversen and Soskice 2006; Norris 2004; Powell 1986), mobilization of political parties and social groups (Gray and Caul 2000; Radcliff and Davis 2000), political efficacy and trust in government (Dalton 2004), and partisan effects (Citrin, Schickler, and Sides 2003; Pacek and Radcliff 1995). …
Publication: Journal of East Asian Studies
Publication date: September-December 2014
Chang, Wen-Chun
Taiwan--Political aspects
Personal income--Analysis
Social change--Analysis
Voting--Analysis
Wealth and Power in America: An Analysis of Social Class and Income Distribution By Gabriel Kolko Frederick A. Praeger, 1962
The South Moves into Its Future: Studies in the Analysis and Prediction of Social Change By Joseph S. Himes University of Alabama, 1991
Understanding Black Africa: Data and Analysis of Social Change and Nation Building By Donald George Morrison; Robert Cameron Mitchell; John Naber Paden Paragon House, 1989
Norm-Based Strategies for Political and Social Change: An Analysis of Migrant Justice Advocacy By Schnyder, Melissa Social Alternatives, Vol. 38, No. 2, 2019
Norm-Based Advocacy and Social Change: An Analysis of Advocacy Efforts to End Child Marriage By Shawki, Noha Social Alternatives, Vol. 34, No. 4, 2015
Impact of Social Change upon Family as Social Institution with Special Focus on Pakistan: A Sociological Analysis By Kakepoto, Hamadullah Brohi, Ahmed Ali Jariko, Ghulam Ali International Research Journal of Arts and Humanities, Vol. 40, No. 40, 2012
State per Capita Personal Income By Lee, Yoonsoo Rudick, Brian Tinlin, Bethany Economic Trends, January 2007
Instant Gratification, Instant ROI: Unleash the Potential of Your Property with the New IREM Income/Expense Analysis[R] System By O'Hara, Matthew Journal of Property Management, Vol. 76, No. 1, January-February 2011
Making Big Bets for Social Change By Foster, William Perreault, Gail Powell, Alison Addy, Chris Stanford Social Innovation Review, Vol. 14, No. 1, Winter 2016
ANALYSIS: Ballet Is No Longer an Elite Pastime and Caters for All; as the New Generation Arts Festival Swings into Life, Christopher Barron, Chief Executive of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Explains Why Dance Is a Powerful Tool for Social Change By The Birmingham Post (England), June 12, 2007
Analysis: Is Forcing Students to Study Personal Finance a Waste of Time? By Ogden, Timothy Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), April 28, 2019
Personal Income Up in Region By Pollick, Michael Sarasota Herald Tribune, November 27, 2012
FREE! voting The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed., 2018
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Hull To Benefit From £95 Million Regeneration Fund
Historic towns and cities around England look set to benefit from a new regeneration fund totalling £95 million to help revitalise struggling high streets around the country by transforming old and abandoned buildings into houses, shops and community centres.
In all, 69 towns and cities will benefit from the funding, with the Midlands winning the biggest share of the pot at £21.1 million, the Guardian reports.
In the north-east and Yorkshire, Hull, Leeds, Huddersfield, Hexham, Barnsley, Middlesborough, North Shields, Scarborough, Northallerton, Castle Ward, Selby, Skipton, Wakefield and Sowerby Bridge will all benefit from the cash injection. In all, some £17.2 million has been made available for this part of England.
According to the news source, 16 shops shut down every day in the first half of this year, a crisis that has been driven by the rise in online shopping, which has already resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
The government has said that this new wave of funding would help to bring in commercial investment and help support wider regeneration in the 69 different places were successful in their bids for the cash.
Nicky Morgan, culture secretary, commented: "Our nation's heritage is one of our great calling cards to the world, attracting millions of visitors to beautiful historic buildings that sit at the heart of our communities."
Construction in Hull and the surrounding areas has been going great guns recently, it would seem, with figures from Hull City Council showing that the city has smashed its housing delivery targets with more than 2,500 new properties built in the last three years.
The Hull Daily Mail recently reported that between 2015 and 2018, 2,514 homes were built, a 165 per cent increase on the central government-set target of 1,523.
East Riding Council also fared well, surpassing its target of 2,891, with 3,307 properties built over the three-year period.
John Black, portfolio holder for housing with Hull City Council, congratulated local planning and housing teams for surpassing the housing delivery targets, adding: "This authority has a tremendous recent record on the delivery of new housing and this is just the latest example."
If you're currently looking for house builders in Hull with a view to getting a new development project off the ground, get in touch with F&H Construction today. We've undertaken a wide range of projects in both building and groundworks all over the country, covering everything from garden walls for domestic properties to civil engineering projects.
We have a variety of options available to suit all budgets and always deliver high quality bespoke projects. Our work has even been nominated for Local Building Authority awards. Give the team a call today if you'd like to find out more.
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A Good Life For a Few
Tom Masland, Newsweek, Jan. 24
They are the black princes and princesses of the new South Africa. They wear Armani to the office, drive late-model Mercedes or BMW sedans and buy vacation villas in Tuscany. The children of Johannesburg's new business elite attend once-segregated private schools in neighborhoods that look like Beverly Hills. Ten years after the system of legal racism known as apartheid fell, jewelry shops now market diamonds to this new carriage trade. And the nation's world-famous country clubs, where whites once learned enough Zulu to tell a caddy, "Move your shadow," still thrive. The new black elite loves golf.
Is there something wrong with this picture of prosperity? Rolling back the legacy of apartheid — essentially an affirmative-action program for the white minority — was the African National Congress's top priority when it took power in 1994. But now the ANC's own affirmative-action campaign is under siege. So-called Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) laws steer government business to firms that include at least 15 percent black ownership. Yet statistics show that the gap between rich and poor has widened. Between 1995 and 2000, for example, average black household income shrank by 19 percent, while that of whites — and of the new black middle class — rose by 15 percent. The country's Gini coefficient — a measure of inequality — also worsened.
But the South African approach to spreading wealth has also proved ripe for abuse. Some white firms bidding on government contracts have simply created black-owned front companies — in effect, renting people's identities. Ten years on, little capital has changed hands. Individual blacks still own only 1.6 percent of shares traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
At the same time, a small group of politically connected black magnates has grown wealthy, typically by buying into corporations after privately gaining discounted or loaned shares. These so-called empowerment firms often don't create new companies, but benefit immediately from stock earnings and from taking part in management. The new black tycoons include Cyril Ramaphosa, a top ANC leader once considered a potential president; Tokyo Sexwale, a former provincial premier; and mining entrepreneur Patrice Motsepe. Deals involving those three accounted for nearly 80 percent of the value of the top 10 empowerment buy-ins recorded during 2003.
Topics: South Africa
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AskPat 396 Episode Transcript
Pat Flynn: Hey, hey, hey everybody. What's up? This is Pat Flynn and welcome to Episode 396 of Ask Pat. Thank you so much for joining me today. As always, I'm here to help you by answering your online business questions five days a week.
I've got a quick question here today from Junaid. But before we get to his question, I do want to thank today's sponsor which is FreshBooks.com. Making it easy for all of us to organize our business finances. They help and serve over three million small businesses, including my own, and they can help serve yours as well. Making it easy keep track of your finances, but also invoicing if you do that in your business. They also have an award-winning mobile app so you can check the financial health of your business on the go.
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Alright. Here's today's question from Junaid.
Junaid:	Hey. My name is Junaid, and I'm from Pakistan. My question is that I want to write about technology. I want to be a tech blogger. I am a doctor, but the idea for technology is something that I like. I want launch my own website. But then I see all these huge big banners relating technology; these websites doing a great job there. Very successful there and people really love them. I really love them. So, I want to ask would it make sense that I make my own website, and put my own ideas in it? What should I do? Should I create my own website amid all these already successful technology blogs that are present out there, or should I just think about something else to write about? Thank you.
Pat Flynn: Hey Junaid. Thank you for the question. This is a really common question, and I think this is going to be really helpful for people.
Because a lot of people are in a profession that they may or may not enjoy, but then they may have this urge to do something else. In the internet space, in the online space, with something that might seem like it's completely different. And one of the things that's going to always hold them back is seeing other people who are already doing it. And the first thing I will mention is that just because other people are doing it, just because there are other websites that are already successful doing this thing that you have this idea that you have this idea that you wanted to start doesn't mean that you can't become successful yourself. Now, it does mean you have to take the special approach when you go into it. And by approach I mean you have to, if you want to go down this path, have a special position—something different, something of unique value to offer everybody else out there who's in that space.
Now I will say the fact that there are other websites out there doing this already, means that obviously this is a great idea. So kudos to you for coming up with a great idea. The only thing is you can't just do what everybody else is doing. You have to do it in a different way. You have to come at it at a different angle.
I will say in terms of the tech blogs out there, it's going to be very difficult to just come in and start talking about technology. If that's what you want to do you're going to have to think about it a little bit deeper. You could niche it down. Maybe you combine your profession as a doctor with technology. That might make it interesting for you and what you're doing in your other job already as a doctor. So you can talk about tech related to medical practices. That could be something that is very interesting, and that might be worth at least investigating to see if anybody else is out there talking about that.
What you want to do is build a website where you become the trusted resource or trusted advisor for Topic X. Now could you become the trusted advisor for technology in general? Probably not. It's going to be very difficult to do that. It's not to say that it's impossible, but with everybody else out there doing that already, a lot of websites that are out there. TechCrunch, for example, is one that comes to mind. They have large staff, they do events every year, it's going to be very difficult to compete with them.
But could you become the trusted advisor for all things tech related to doctors and medical practices? Perhaps. Again, you're going to have to see what is out there. If you find someone else out there who is that person already, that doesn't mean that you can't do it it just means that you were going to see what's out there already. There is an advantage to you coming in late to a game like this. It means you can see how other people out there are serving that particular audience, and what you could do better.
If there are books out there on this topic, look it up on Amazon and find these books. Read the reviews. The reviews are exactly where you can get some amazing ideas for posts to write, the language to use on your website, what's missing in this industry. So you can come in and be that person to fill in all those gaps. That's an amazing tip that I heard from somewhere, I can't remember where. I think it was Jay Abraham on a YouTube video who mentioned that you can go on to Amazon look at the reviews and use that as a great base for the language that you could use, the posts that you could write, perhaps even other products that you could create. Or at least what you can do to better serve that audience in all the one and two star reviews. But also look at the five and four star reviews to see what's working so you can incorporate those things as well into what it is that you do.
So going back to your question, does it make sense to start your own site? Absolutely! I think everybody should have their own site. Or should it be something else in technology? Again, that's up to you. If you really like tech, see if you can combine it with something you're already doing and that's going to make it very interesting for you. It's also going to help benefit you on the doctor side of things as well. You might be able to connect with other companies, other influencers who can affect your practice. So that's where I would start from there.
Another thing to think about is this USP or this positioning. We've talked on this already, but I would make sure to really really understand what value is it that you are bringing to the table. Because if you can't answer that question then it's not worth starting your website. So really think hard on that and I encourage you. I encourage you to test it out and that's the cool thing about this. I would also encourage you to think about other ways beyond blogging to be able to serve this audience and help people. Maybe you don't do the doctor/tech blog. Maybe it's a tech blog in another space that you find interesting. Maybe it's all wearable technology. Maybe it's all virtual reality stuff, which I know is becoming big now with Morpheus coming out, and the Oculus and those types of things. So whatever interests you, make sure it's narrowed down and that you can in your head, maybe within a year's time even, become that leading expert in that particular space. So unless you know that you can do that—and you got to really own it. You've got a really know that that's something that you can do, and that's going to help you with the motivation to keep creating content, to do the research, to find those companies out there that you can connect with who you could leave reviews for their products for and all those sorts of things. It's going to help you in that direction.
So Junaid, I hope that answers your question. Thank you so much for the question today. We're going to send you, all the way in Pakistan, an "AskPat" t-shirt. Hopefully we can do that. My assistant will reach out to you to collect that information so we can send that out to you free of charge, since your question was featured here in the show. And for those of you listening, if you have a question that you would like potentially featured here on the show just head on over to ask pat.com. You can ask right there on that page.
I also want to thank FreshBooks.com for helping me manage my finances, helping all of you manage your finances too. Go to GetFreshBooks.com and enter "Ask Pat" in the how did you hear about us section to get a 30-day free trial. And again the invoicing situation with FreshBooks, if you have any clients, or students, or are working with any other companies. It just makes it very very simple for you to create professional-looking invoices so you can get paid, and it goes directly into your accounts. It's all connected to everything that you're doing already financially and it makes it so much easier for you during tax season too. You can just print out these reports and make it so much easier for yourself. So again GetFreshBooks.com answer "Ask Pat" in the how did you hear about a section.
Here's a quote from Jay-Z, the rapper. He says: "I'm not a businessman. I'm a business, man."
Love that. Cheers. Take care. See you on the next episode of "Ask Pat". Peace.
Today's question comes from Junaid, who is questioning his desire to be a tech blogger. It's a crowded industry—is it worth entering, or should he write in a different industry? I share my thoughts on how to get started.
Do you have a question about blogging? Record it at AskPat.com.
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Songwriter Ewan Maccoll Died On This Day In Scottish History
Songwriter Ewan MacColl died - On this day in Scottish history
11a7946d-0ba3-413a-aaef-65753022d70a
Scottish singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl died on 22 October 1989.
Scottish singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl died on 22 October 1989 at the age of 74. MacColl recorded more than 100 albums of Scottish and English folk songs, including protests against issues such as the atomic bomb and the Vietnam War.
As well as creating his own works, such as Scots Street Songs, Bad Lads and Hard Cases, Four Pence a Day and British Industrial Folk Songs, MacColl wrote for a range of artists including Elvis Presley, The Dubliners, Johnny Cash and The Clancy Brothers.
Ewan MacColl timeline
25 January 1915 - Born in Salford
1930 - Left school without a job
1931 - Formed theatre group The Red Megaphones, with other unemployed artists
1946 - Formed Theatre Workshop and began to tour the UK
1959 - Began to record albums for Folkway Records
1959 - Recorded 'Songs of Robert Burns'
22 October 1989 - Died at the age of 74.
QUICK LINK: Scottish songs of World War I


Home > The Advocate of Lyrical Attentiveness
Obituary for Fuad Rifka
The Advocate of Lyrical Attentiveness
The renowned Lebanese poet Fuad Rifka died last Saturday at the age of 80. Alongside Adonis and Mahmud Darwish he was one of the great revivers of Arabic poetry, yet among those of his own generation he remained unique until the end. An obituary by Stefan Weidner
Fuad Rifka's primary literary influence was not the English or French canon, but the German. In the late 1950s he arrived at the University of Tübingen to study philosophy, and gained his doctorate there in 1965 on the subject of Heidegger's aesthetics.
His numerous translations were the first to acquaint Arab readers with the poetry of Hölderlin, Rilke and Trakl, writers who also influenced Rifka's own work.
Exponent of quiet observation
The poet and translator Fuad Rifka, born in Damascus in 1930, was awarded the German Order of Merit in 2005 and the Goethe Medal in 2010
This background seems to have made Rifka's poetry particularly well suited to translation into German. There are four volumes of his work available here, including Das Tal der Rituale [The Valley of Rituals], published by Straelener Manuskripte, and the Tagebuch eines Holzsammlers [Diary of a Wood Collector] by Heiderhoff Verlag.
Rifka's poetry is far removed from the bombastic rhetoric of many other Arab poets of his generation. He was always an exponent of quiet observation, an advocate of lyrical attentiveness who combines profundity and simplicity in texts that are immediately intelligible: October: / birds migrate, / faithful boughs wave, / their leaves in the wind / are tears. (from the poem 'Painting')
Influence on the younger generation
Since the 1990s, German readers have also come to know Rifka's work. He was often invited to give readings in Germany, and was a corresponding member of the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung [German Academy for Language and Poetry]. Last year, already apparently in ill health, he was awarded the Goethe Medal for the mediation of German literature abroad at a ceremony in Weimar.
Numerous obituaries across the Arab world have paid tribute to his remarkable literary stature. The fact that he was an outsider in his own generation made his work all the more influential for younger poets, who were striving to develop a new, unpretentious language and style. Rifka's poetry will continue be read for many years to come, both in Arabic and in German.
Stefan Weidner
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Editor: Lewis Gropp/Qantara.de
Fuad Rifka, Winner of the Goethe Medal: A Life Dedicated to the German LanguageInterview with Fuad Rifka: At Home in German Thought
Source URL: https://en.qantara.de/content/obituary-for-fuad-rifka-the-advocate-of-lyrical-attentiveness