bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Minimal Cues of Possession Transfer Compel Infants to Ascribe the Goal of Giving
Authors: Tatone Denis , Hernik Mikołaj , Csibra Gergely
Published: April 2019

Human infants’ readiness to interpret impoverished object-transfer events as acts of giving suggests the existence of a dedicated action schema for identifying interactions based on active object transfer. Here we investigated the sensitivity of this giving schema by testing whether 15-month-olds would interpret the displacement of an object as an agent’s goal even if it could be dismissed as a side effect of a different goal. Across two looking-time experiments, we showed that, when the displacement only resulted in a change of object location, infants expected the agent to pursue the other goal. However, when the same change of location resulted in a transfer of object possession, infants reliably adopted this outcome as the agent’s goal. The interpretive shift that the mere presence of a potential recipient caused is testament to the infants’ susceptibility to cues of benefit delivery: an action efficiently causing a transfer of object possession appeared sufficient to induce the interpretation of goal-directed giving even if the transfer was carried out without any interaction between Giver and Givee and was embedded in an event affording an alternative goal interpretation.
Like Stars in the Sky: Networks of Astronomers in Mongol Eurasia
Authors: Yang Qiao
Published: April 2019

The Mongols established an empire that ruled over two thirds of Eurasia. This was achieved, so they believed, by the will of heaven. Therefore, they had a great interest in reading the sky for guiding their earthly activities. Under the patronage of Mongol rulers, astronomers in both Yuan China and the Ilkhanate of Iran developed an extensive scholarly network and the astral sciences in both khanates witnessed their heyday. This paper reconstructs and compares the dynamic networks of astronomers in Ilkhanid Iran and Yuan China. Based on the astronomers’ biographies, it analyzes the wider culture of expertise and social settings that shaped the profession of heavenly observation and predictive analysis. The comparative perspective will highlight the continuities and changes of astronomy in China and Iran under Mongol rule. I will also discuss the achievements and limitations of the cross-cultural reading of heaven in Mongol Eurasia.
The Legal Framework for the Fight against Female Circumcision: From Cultural Indulgence to Human Rights Violations. The French Example
Authors: Le Bris Catherine
Published: April 2019

The harmful consequences of female circumcision for women’s health have been demonstrated and are regularly recalled by the World Health Organisation. Whereas in the past, the cultural dimension of the practice was emphasised, which result in impunity or absence of guilt, it is now considered by the United Nations as a violation of human rights, especially of the right to health. In 2012, the General Assembly asked States for a total ban on the practice. Despite the consensus on the punishability of female circumcision, its enforcement diverges, in particular in Western Europe. France is considered as a model in this area, that’s why this study focuses on it. Yet, under French law, there is no special legislation criminalising the practice: female circumcision is punishable on grounds of mutilation. However, the French success is not complete: the prevention of such acts could be improved.
Human Rights and Climate Change
Authors: Albers Julie H.
Published: April 2019

This article explores the opportunities to use international human rights law to protect one’s right to life against the effects of climate change. It discusses four legal avenues: greening the existing human rights paradigm, formulating a new substantive right to the environment, public interest litigation and intergenerational justice. This is illustrated with case law from the European Court of Human Rights and various national jurisdictions. The main finding is that the human rights system should become more open towards public interest litigation and intergenerational justice, complemented by a broadening of the standing requirements.
Promoting the Rule of Law through the Principle of Subsidiarity in the African Union: A Critical Perspective
Authors: Kaaba O’Brien , Fagbayibo Babatunde
Published: April 2019

The relationship between African Union (AU) and Regional Economic Communities (recs) frameworks, especially as it relates to the application of the principle of subsidiarity to intervention that aims to ensure strict adherence to democratic standards, is at the heart of this article. Although there exists a 2007 ‘Draft Protocol on the Relations Between the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities’, it is yet to be adopted, and more importantly, its provisions are ambiguous. The same problem of ambiguity applies to the 2008 ‘Memorandum of Understanding (mou) on Cooperation in the Area of Peace and Security Between the African Union, The Regional Economic Communities and the Coordinating Mechanism of The Regional Standby Brigades of Eastern Africa and Northern Africa’. The lack of a consistent approach to situations in Burundi, The Gambia and Zambia, has since raised the question of subsidiarity, or to put it more specifically, the vague articulation of the concept in the AU. In redressing this problem, the article provides some normative suggestions on how to ensure the effective application of the principle of subsidiarity in advancing democracy and good governance in Africa.
Commentary on the Guidelines for the Implementation of the who Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Authors: Lin Zhengling , Van der Borght Kim
Published: April 2019

The Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control has adopted Guidelines for the implementation of eight provisions of the Convention. Some legal scholars argue that the Guidelines are binding and efficacious. This paper rejects this assertion. It asserts that on a true and proper interpretation of the Guidelines on the basis of the rules of the Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties, they are nothing more than soft law.
A new species of Mimosa section Mimosa (Leguminosae) from the Paraguayan Cerrado
Authors: MORALES MATÍAS , GROHAR MARIANA C. , ROSENFELDT SONIA , FORTUNATO RENÉE H.
Published: April 2019

Mimosa schininii (Leguminosae), a new species from the Amambay region, in the Cerrado ecoregion of northeastern Paraguay, is described and illustrated. This new species belongs to Mimosa L. section Mimosa series Mimosa subseries Brevipedes Barneby, and is similar to M. brevipes Benth. and M. sceptrum Barneby, but differs from them by shorter inflorescence, secondary leaflets venation pattern and fruit dehiscence. This new entity resembles, in some characters, other subseries of series Mimosa, such as Mimosa section Mimosa series Mimosa subseries Pedunculosae (Benth.) Barneby and Hirsutae (Benth.) Barneby, but can be distinguished adequately from them by vegetative, floral, and carpological characters. Illustration, distribution map, and a key to distinguish M. schininii from close relatives are provided.
A narrowly endemic new species of Calliandra series Racemosae (Fabaceae) from Sinaloa, Mexico
Authors: HERNÁNDEZ HÉCTOR M. , GÓMEZ-HINOSTROSA CARLOS
Published: April 2019

Calliandra estebanensis, a new species of Fabaceae, mimosoid, from a remote locality of Sinaloa, Mexico, is here described and illustrated. The new species is probably closely related to C. grandiflora, an extremely common species frequently found in oak, pine and pine-oak forests, from northwestern Mexico, in Durango, Sinaloa and Sonora, to Honduras and El Salvador. The new species is distinguished from C. grandiflora by its flowers with longer peduncles, shorter pedicels, and larger calyces and corollas, and by the much denser white-sericeous vestiture covering all reproductive structures. Excluding the longer pedicels, C. grandiflora has smaller flower parts, which are covered with a finer vestiture of shorter, variably-colored trichomes.
Structure of the petioles and costae of Mexican and Central American species of Pteris (Polypodiopsida, Pteridaceae)
Authors: PALACIOS-RIOS MÓNICA , GABRIEL Y GALÁN JOSE MARÍA , PRADA CARMEN , RICO-GRAY VICTOR
Published: April 2019

Given the taxonomic complexity of the genus Pteris in the Neotropics, the present work aims to collect information about the anatomy of the petioles and the costae of native, adventitious, and introduced Mexican and Central American species of Pteris, and to analyse its taxonomic potential. We collected fresh and dried samples from 26 species, making histological sections by hand. With the naked eye or with a dissection microscope, the colour and size of the axes, and the characters of the awns were recorded. Other characters (indument, anatomy, specifically the stele) were observed in a compound microscope. The type of stele of the petiole, characterized by the shape of xylem, appeared to be an important taxonomic character because it presents a remarkable correlation with some of the groups formed by spore type. Some of these groups of Mesoamerican species of Pteris, formed by means of morphological criteria (petiole xylem + spore) fit very well certain clades established by means of molecular characters.
The class Diplopoda in Mongolia, with description of a new species
Authors: MIKHALJOVA ELENA V.
Published: April 2019

The class Diplopoda appears to be represented in Mongolia by eight species from 4 genera, 2 families (Polyzoniidae andDiplomaragnidae) and 2 orders (Polyzoniida and Chordeumatida). One species is described here as new to science: Shear-ia longa sp. nov. Genus Shearia Mikhaljova, 2000 is new to the fauna of Mongolia. All currently known Diplopoda taxa from Mongolia are keyed, including the new species. The distributions of all Mongolian diplopod species are mapped.
Erratum: Anker, A., Hurt, C., Knowlton, N. (2009) “Description of cryptic taxa within the Alpheus bouvieri A. Milne-Edwards, 1878 and A. hebes Kim and Abele, 1988 species complexes (Crustacea: Decapoda: Alpheidae)”. Zootaxa, 2153, 1–23.
Authors: ANKER A. , HURT C. , KNOWLTON N.
Published: April 2019

(Erratum)
Contribution to the knowledge of Chinese Epilachna Chevrolat with descriptions of new species (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Epilachnini)
Authors: PANG HONG , ŚLIPIŃSKI ADAM , WU YAPING , ZUO YONGSHENG
Published: April 2019

The results of examination of extensive collections of Epilachna Chevrolat (Coccinellidae: Epilachnini) from China, housed at the Natural History Museum Basel and the Museum of Biology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou are presented. New distribution data of 33 species and detailed digital illustrations of external morphology and male genitalia of 20 poorly known species are included. Six new species: Epilachna bocaki, E. crepida, E. echinata, E. hamulifera, E. max, E. sichuana Pang et Ślipiński spp. nov. are described. An updated list of 106 species of Epilachna recorded from China is also presented.
Taxonomic study of Chinese species of the genus Macropsis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Macropsinae): new species, new records, synonymy and replacement name
Authors: LI HU , DAI REN-HUAI , LI ZI-ZHONG , TISHECHKIN DMITRI YU.
Published: April 2019

Seven new species of the genus Macropsis from China, M. adusta sp. nov., M. exteria sp. nov., M. hainanensis sp. nov., M. latiaedeagus sp. nov., M. lijiangensis sp. nov., M. robusta sp. nov. and M. tuberculiformis sp. nov. are described and illustrated; three species, M. emeljanovi Dubovskiy, 1966, M. illota (Horvath, 1899) and M. orientalis (Distant, 1916) are recorded from China for the first time; M. flavida Vilbaste, 1980 = M. recurvus Kuoh, 1981 syn. nov. and M. matsumurana (China, 1925) = M. pallidinota Kuoh, 1992 syn. nov. are redescribed and illustrated basing on the materials from China. A replacement name, M. zizhongi Li, Dai et Li, nom. nov. for the junior homonym M. gracilis Li et Liang, 2005 (nec Dubovskiy, 1966) is established.
Richness of the Nearctic Treehopper Fauna (Hemiptera: Aetalionidae and Membracidae)
Authors: DEITZ LEWIS L. , WALLACE MATTHEW S.
Published: April 2019

The indigenous Nearctic treehopper fauna includes 2 families, 6 subfamilies, 20 tribes, 68–72 genera, and 276–280 de-scribed species, of which 1 tribe, 16 genera, and 195 species are endemic. This work provides an alphabetical checklist ofthe species (with distributions as documented in the literature) as well as discussions and two tables summarizing the tax-onomic and regional diversity of this rich, distinctive fauna. The tribes Smiliini and Telamonini (Membracidae: Smilii-nae), which include many specialists on oaks (Quercus spp.), are the two most species-rich tribes. Maps of the Nearcticsubregions document the species richness of each state and province, 22 of which have between 60 and 118 reported spe-cies. The Southwest U.S. has the largest number of genera of the subregions, while both the Southwest and the Centraland Eastern U.S. are highly species rich. Arizona stands apart as an area of exceptional endemism with one genus and 25species known only from within its borders. Among families of auchenorrhynchous Hemiptera, Membracidae rank thirdin total numbers of Nearctic species. This study highlights the need for: (1) improved taxonomic understanding, especiallythrough comprehensive generic revisions; (2) further collecting to fill gaps in geographic sampling; and (3) the preserva-tion of identifiable voucher material, with full data (including geo-cordinates and, where known, host plant data) to document all published research.
Universality in the Spatial Evolution of Self-Aggregation of Tropical Convection
Authors: Windmiller Julia M. , Craig George C.
Published: April 2019

Self-aggregation in numerical simulations of tropical convection is described by an upscale growth and intensification of dry and moist regions. Previous work has focused on determining the relevant mechanism that induces moist regions to get moister and dry regions to get drier. Though different mechanisms have been identified, the spatial evolution of self-aggregation is remarkably universal. The first part of this study shows that different mechanisms can lead to a similar evolution of self-aggregation, if self-aggregation is described by a phase separation of moist and dry regions, through a process called coarsening. Though it was previously introduced based on a convection–humidity feedback, coarsening, importantly, is not tied to a specific feedback process but only requires an intensification of local humidity perturbations. Based on different feedback loops, three simple models of the evolution of the humidity field are introduced, all of which lead to coarsening. In each model, diffusive transport of humidity is assumed, which approximates a humidity increase due to convection, within a finite region around convective cores. In the second part, predictions made by coarsening are compared with atmospheric model simulations. Analyzing a set of radiative–convective equilibrium simulations shows that coarsening correctly predicts the upscale growth of the moist and dry regions in the early stages of self-aggregation. In addition, coarsening can explain why self-aggregation is not observed for small domains and why the shape of the final moist region changes with the shape of the domain.
Wind–Mixed Layer–SST Feedbacks in a Tropical Air–Sea Coupled System: Application to the Atlantic
Authors: Kataoka Takahito , Kimoto Masahide , Watanabe Masahiro , Tatebe Hiroaki
Published: April 2019

The ocean–atmosphere feedback associated with the thermodynamic coupling among wind speed, evaporation, and sea surface temperature (SST), called the wind–evaporation–SST (WES) feedback, contributes to the cross-equatorial SST gradient over the tropical oceans. By conducting an eigenanalyses of simple linear air–sea coupled models, it is shown that two additional feedback processes are present when the variable oceanic mixed layer depth (MLD) is considered. The horizontal structures of the leading modes are similar to the WES mode, which shows a meridional dipole in the SST anomalies straddling the equator with cross-equatorial wind anomalies that represent the weakening/strengthening of the trade winds over the warm/cool SST anomalies. The coupling of the variable MLD with winds and SST more than doubles the growth rate of the WES mode and enhances the equatorward propagation of the coupled disturbances. The identified feedbacks operate as follows: The weaker winds associated with warm SST anomalies shoal the mixed layer through suppressed turbulent mixing, which causes the mixed layer to be more sensitive to the climatological shortwave radiation and amplifies the initial positive SST anomalies. Likewise, deepening of the mixed layer due to stronger winds acts to maintain the negative SST anomaly on the other side of the dipole. The MLD anomalies can also be generated by the buoyancy flux anomaly related to the wind-induced latent heat flux anomaly. The antiphase relationship between the SST and MLD anomalies seen in the simple model bears some resemblance to that which is observed in the observations and a state-of-the-art coupled model during the Atlantic meridional mode.
On the Physics of the Warm Water Volume and El Niño/La Niña Predictability
Authors: Clarke Allan J. , Zhang Xiaolin
Published: April 2019

Previous work has shown that warm water volume (WWV), usually defined as the volume of equatorial Pacific warm water above the 20°C isotherm between 5°S and 5°N, leads El Niño. In contrast to previous discharge–recharge oscillator theory, here it is shown that anomalous zonal flow acceleration right at the equator and the movement of the equatorial warm pool are crucial to understanding WWV–El Niño dynamics and the ability of WWV to predict ENSO. Specifically, after westerly equatorial wind anomalies in a coupled ocean–atmosphere instability push the warm pool eastward during El Niño, the westerly anomalies follow the warmest water south of the equator in the Southern Hemisphere summer in December–February. With the wind forcing that causes El Niño in the eastern Pacific removed, the eastern equatorial Pacific sea level and thermocline anomalies decrease. Through long Rossby wave dynamics this decrease results in an anomalous westward equatorial flow that tends to push the warm pool westward and often results in the generation of a La Niña during March–June. The anomalously negative eastern equatorial Pacific sea level typically does not change as much during La Niña, the negative feedback is not as strong, and El Niños tend to not follow La Niñas the next year. This El Niño/La Niña asymmetry is seen in the WWV/El Niño phase diagram and decreased predictability during “La Niña–like” decades.
Winter Storm Tracks and Related Weather in the NCEP Climate Forecast System Weeks 3–4 Reforecasts for North America
Authors: Lukens Katherine E. , Berbery Ernesto Hugo
Published: April 2019

This article examines to what extent the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS) weeks 3–4 reforecasts reproduce the CFS Reanalysis (CFSR) storm-track properties, and if so, whether the storm-track behavior can contribute to the prediction of related winter weather in North America. The storm tracks are described by objectively tracking isentropic potential vorticity (PV) anomalies for two periods (base, 1983–2002; validation, 2003–10) to assess their value in a more realistic forecast mode. Statistically significant positive PV biases are found in the storm-track reforecasts. Removal of systematic errors is found to improve general storm-track features. CFSR and Reforecast (CFSRR) reproduces well the observed intensity and spatial distributions of storm-track-related near-surface winds, with small yet significant biases found in the storm-track regions. Removal of the mean wind bias further reduces the error on average by 12%. The spatial distributions of the reforecast precipitation correspond well with the reanalysis, although significant positive biases are found across the contiguous United States. Removal of the precipitation bias reduces the error on average by 25%. The bias-corrected fields better depict the observed variability and exhibit additional improvements in the representation of winter weather associated with strong-storm tracks (the storms with more intense PV). Additionally, the reforecasts reproduce the characteristic intensity and frequency of hazardous strong-storm winds. The findings suggest a potential use of storm-track statistics in the advancement of subseasonal-to-seasonal weather prediction in North America.
Biomarkers of Endothelial Dysfunction in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Authors: Dambala Kalliopi , Paschou Stavroula A. , Michopoulos Alexandros , Siasos Gerasimos , Goulis Dimitrios G. , Vavilis Dimitrios , Tarlatzis Basil C.
Published: April 2019

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of childbearing age. The criteria required for the diagnosis identify various phenotypes, with different reproductive, metabolic, and cardiovascular (CV) risk characteristics. Emerging evidence links adipocyte-secreted hormones as candidates in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction in PCOS, independently of additional risk factors. The aim of this review was to collect, analyze, and qualitatively resynthesize evidence on biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction (visfatin, vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], matrix metalloproteinase 9 [MMP-9]) in women with PCOS. Women with PCOS exhibit (a) increased plasma visfatin concentrations compared with controls with a similar body mass index; (b) increased VEGF production along with chronic, mild inflammation; and (c) increased MMP-9 concentrations, which might be related to either excessive CV risk or abnormalities of ovarian extracellular matrix remodeling, multiple cyst formation, follicular atresia, and chronic anovulation. As PCOS has been associated with CV risk, early identification of endothelial dysfunction is clinically relevant.
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists professional practice guidelines for the administration of electroconvulsive therapy
Authors: Weiss Alan , Hussain Salam , Ng Bradley , Sarma Shanthi , Tiller John , Waite Susan , Loo Colleen
Published: April 2019

Objectives:

To provide guidance for the optimal administration of electroconvulsive therapy, in particular maintaining the high efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy while minimising cognitive side-effects, based on scientific evidence and supplemented by expert clinical consensus.

Methods:

Articles and information were sourced from existing guidelines and the published literature. Information was revised and discussed by members of the working group of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists’ Section for Electroconvulsive Therapy and Neurostimulation, and findings were then formulated into consensus-based recommendations and guidance. The guidelines were subjected to rigorous successive consultation and external review within the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, involving the full Section for Electroconvulsive Therapy and Neurostimulation membership, and expert and clinical advisors and professional bodies with an interest in electroconvulsive therapy administration.

Results:

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists’ professional practice guidelines for the administration of electroconvulsive therapy provide up-to-date advice regarding the use of electroconvulsive therapy in clinical practice and are informed by evidence and clinical experience. The guidelines are intended for use by psychiatrists and also others with an interest in the administration of electroconvulsive therapy. The guidelines are not intended as a directive about clinical practice or instructions as to what must be done for a given patient, but provide guidance to facilitate best practice to help optimise outcomes for patients. The outcome is guidelines that strive to find the appropriate balance between promoting best evidence-based practice and acknowledging that electroconvulsive therapy is a continually evolving practice.

Conclusion:

The guidelines provide up-to-date advice for psychiatrists to promote optimal standards of electroconvulsive therapy practice.
When Is a Child Too Young for Juvenile Court? A Comparative Case Study of State Law and Implementation in Six Major Metropolitan Areas
Authors: Abrams Laura S. , Barnert Elizabeth S. , Mizel Matthew L. , Bedros Antoinette , Webster Erica , Bryan Isaac
Published: April 2019

There is a dearth of knowledge concerning statutes and practices designed to protect younger children from formal juvenile court petitions. This case study examines minimum age laws and related statutes in the six largest U.S. states and explores implementation of these policies and practices in major metropolitan areas within these states. The primary study methods included legal analysis and stakeholder interviews. Legal analysis identified diverse minimum age laws across states and complex statutes related to children’s capacity to stand trial and competency. Stakeholders across the six cases agreed that the state should protect young children from formal delinquency petitions when possible. Discretionary statutes and practices appeared to play a key yet inconsistent role in excluding younger children from juvenile court.
Double child and elder care responsibilities and emotional exhaustion of an older sandwiched generation: The mediating effect of self-care
Authors: Jang Soo Jung , Song Dayoung , Baek Kyungheun , Zippay Allison
Published: April 2019

The number of informal caregivers over the age of 50 who care for multiple family members including children and elderly relatives – a practice termed ‘double care’ – has steadily increased in Asian countries. Despite the rise in depression and stress among such caregivers, few studies have examined factors that may mitigate their emotional exhaustion. This research examines relationships between care responsibilities and emotional exhaustion, and the mediation effects of self-care on people in their 50s through 70s who provide care to multiple family members including children and elderly parents or relatives. The participants of this study were 183 people who were providing double care. The authors used care responsibilities as the independent variable, self-care as a mediator, and emotional exhaustion as the dependent variable. Results indicate that care responsibilities significantly affect emotional exhaustion, and that emotional exhaustion is mediated by self-care. The findings suggest that attention to self-care may reduce emotional exhaustion among caregivers in this older age group.
The implementation of photovoice as a tool for documenting the learning experiences of social work students on international field placement
Authors: Malka Menny , Langer Nora Korin
Published: April 2019

Illustrating the adaptation of new and creative methods in international social work education, this article will present a working model for the use of photovoice methodology as part of a daily training seminar during an international field placement for Israeli students. The article will present a protocol for the use of a photovoice-based work model, with 3 applied examples from seminars held during 3 weeks of field placement in India and Ethiopia. We will discuss the educational and pedagogic contribution of photovoice as critical reflective tool within the context of international social work education.
Identification of process-induced residual stress/strain distribution in thick thermoplastic composites based on in situ strain monitoring using optical fiber sensors
Authors: Tsukada Takuhei , Minakuchi Shu , Takeda Nobuo
Published: April 2019

In thick thermoplastic composite laminates, nonuniform temperature distribution arises in the through-thickness direction during high-rate manufacturing processes. This causes the so-called thermal skin-core effect. The surface region solidified in advance constrains shrinking of the inside region, so nonuniform residual stress/strain distribution arises in the through-thickness direction. This study quantitatively clarified this mechanism and identified the amount of residual stress/strain by utilizing fiber optic–based internal strain measurement and process simulation. First, in-plane transverse strain of thin carbon fiber/polyphenylenesulfide laminates was measured using fiber Bragg grating sensors to determine two key parameters for stress/strain simulation; thermal/crystalline shrinkage strain and composite stiffness. Abaqus-based simulation using these properties was then performed to calculate stress/strain distribution in thick laminates. The simulated strain agreed well with the measured value and it was confirmed that the residual stress developed in a relatively low temperature range. In addition, transverse three-point bending tests were conducted to validate the amount of residual stress calculated by the simulation. The bending strength increased by the thermal skin-core effect and the amount of strength increase coincided with the simulation, confirming the validity of the simulation. Extension of the proposed approach to the evaluation of the morphological skin-core effect is also discussed.
Preparation and characterization of silicone rubber/graphene nanosheets nanocomposites by in-situ loading of the coupling agent
Authors: Esmizadeh Elnaz , Arjmandpour Mostafa , Vahidifar A , Naderi Ghasem , Dubois Charles
Published: April 2019

Inexpensive approach to fully disperse graphene nanosheet (GNS) in silicone rubber (SR) by the addition of (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) as the coupling agent is presented in this study. The effects of GNS loading and presence of APTES on the cure characteristics, dynamic-mechanical, rheological and mechanical properties of the resulting SR compounds were systematically studied by rheometry, DMTA and tensile testing, respectively. The obtained results were correlated with the microstructure of the samples investigated by SEM and TEM analyses. Vulcanization curves revealed that the GNS and the coupling agent had an accelerating effect on the cure kinetics of the SR compounds leading to a steady decrease in scorch time and optimum cure time along with a gradual increase in the effective torque value. Morphological results showed that the GNSs could disperse more homogeneously within SR matrix using a simple solution mixing approach by in-situ loading of APTES. DMTA results showed restricted relaxation processes in GNS-reinforced SR systems in comparison with the pure SR, with more pronounced effect for the system containing APTES owing to improved interactions between graphene and SR which prevented the molecular mobility of neighboring chains of SR matrix. The tensile data demonstrated about 20% rise of modulus in the GNS-filled rubber nanocomposites in the presence of APTES. Low-frequency rheological properties including the storage modulus (G′), the loss modulus (G″), and complex shear viscosity (η*) showed a significant increase of about 10-fold, 75% and 20%, respectively, with the incorporation of APTES and GNS. Thus it could be expected that APTES had a substantial potential to be applied in-situ as the coupling agent to fabricate SR/GNS nanocomposites with exfoliated GNS morphology and increased the rheological and mechanical properties.
On climate and conflict: Precipitation decline and communal conflict in Ethiopia and Kenya
Authors: van Weezel Stijn
Published: April 2019

This study exploits a sudden and abrupt decline in precipitation of the long rains season in the Horn of Africa to analyze the possible link between climate change and violent armed conflict. Following the 1998 El Niño there has been an overall reduction in precipitation levels – associated with sea-surface temperature changes in the Indian and Pacific Oceans – resulting in an increase in the number and severity of droughts. Given that the probable cause of this shift is anthropogenic forcing, it provides a unique opportunity to study the effect of climate change on society compared to statistical inference based on weather variation. Focusing on communal conflict in Ethiopia and Kenya between 1999 and 2014, exploiting cross-sectional variation across districts, the regression analysis links the precipitation decline to an additional 1.3 conflict events per district. The main estimates show that there is a negative correlation between precipitation and communal conflict with a probability of 0.90. Changing model specification to consider plausible alternative models and accommodate other identifying assumptions produces broadly similar results. The generaliziability of the link between precipitation decline and conflict breaks down when using out-of-sample cross-validation to test the external validity. A leave-one-out cross-validation exercise shows that accounting for climate contributes relatively little to improving the predictive performance of the model. This suggests that there are other more salient factors underlying communal violence in Ethiopia and Kenya. As such, in this case the link between climate and conflict should not be overstated.
“Reality Shock” of Beginning Teachers? Changes in Teacher Candidates’ Emotional Exhaustion and Constructivist-Oriented Beliefs
Authors: Voss Thamar , Kunter Mareike
Published: April 2019

Beginning teachers often feel disillusioned and stressed during their first years of teaching. In the present study, we investigated changes in teacher candidates’ constructivist beliefs and emotional exhaustion. We assessed 163 German mathematics teacher candidates 3 times: at the beginning of, in the middle of, and after they completed the induction program. The results revealed a statistically significant decrease in constructivist beliefs and an inverted U-shaped change in emotional exhaustion with an increase at the beginning of the induction program and a decrease afterward. We also found that personal (i.e., math enjoyment) and social (i.e., instrumental support from peers and a constructivist-oriented mentor teacher) resources buffered the decrease in constructivist beliefs and the increase in emotional exhaustion.
Dimensional change of wool fabrics in the process of a tumble-drying cycle
Authors: Bao Wei , Shen Jinsong , Ding Xuemei , Wu Xiongying
Published: April 2019

Currently domestic tumble dryers are popularly used for drying garments; however, excessive drying and the inappropriate way of tumble agitation could waste energy and cause damage to or the dimensional change of garments. Shrinkage of wool fabrics during tumble drying causes a serious problem for wool garments. The current study investigated the shrinkage of untreated and Chlorine-Hercosett–finished wool fabrics at different drying times. Temperature of air in the tumble dryer, temperature of fabric, moisture content of fabric, and dimensional change at different drying times were measured. For the duration of the tumble drying, the rise of fabric temperature and the reduction of moisture content on the wool fabric were investigated to explore their relationship to the shrinkage of wool fabrics in the tumble-drying cycle. It was found that the tumble-drying process can be divided into different stages according to the temperature change trend of wool fabrics. The shrinkage mechanisms of the untreated and the treated fabrics were different. The dimensional change of untreated wool fabric was caused mainly by felting shrinkage during tumble drying. Chlorine-Hercosett–finished wool fabric can withstand the tumble-drying process without noticeable felting shrinkage due to the surface modification and resin coating of surface scales of wool fibers. The finding from the current research provides further understanding of the shrinkage behavior of wool fabrics during the tumble-drying process, leading to optimizing operational parameters at specific stages of a tumble-drying cycle.
From ethnobotany to emancipation: Slaves, plant knowledge, and gardens on eighteenth-century Isle de France
Authors: Brixius Dorit
Published: April 2019

This essay examines the relationship between slavery and plant knowledge for cultivational activities and medicinal purposes on Isle de France (Mauritius) in the second half of the eighteenth century. It builds on recent scholarship to argue for the significance of slaves in the acquisition of plant material and related knowledge in pharmaceutical, acclimatization, and private gardens on the French colonial island. I highlight the degree to which French colonial officials relied on slaves’ ethnobotanical knowledge but neglected to include such information in their published works. Rather than seeking to explore the status of such knowledge within European frameworks of natural history as an endpoint of knowledge production, this essay calls upon us to think about the plant knowledge that slaves possessed for its practical implementations in the local island context. Both female and male slaves’ plant-based knowledge enriched – even initiated – practices of cultivation and preparation techniques of plants for nourishment and medicinal uses. Here, cultivational knowledge and skills determined a slave’s hierarchical rank. As the case of the slave gardener Rama and his family reveals, plant knowledge sometimes offered slaves opportunities for social mobility and, even though on extremely rare occasions, enabled them to become legally free.
Books, plants, herbaria: Diego Hurtado de Mendoza and his circle in Italy (1539–1554)
Authors: Andretta Elisa , Pardo-Tomás José
Published: April 2019

This article sets out to throw light on the intellectual and scientific activities of a group of Spanish humanists associated with the diplomat, aristocrat, and writer Diego Hurtado de Mendoza in the course of his fifteen years in Venice, Trent, and Rome, focusing on two aspects that have been neglected to date. These are (a) the integration of practices connected with the study of nature (herborizing expeditions and the production of herbaria) with the work of collating, translating, and commenting on classical texts dealing with natural history and materia medica; and (b) the insertion of these scientific activities in Italy by the Spanish subjects of the Emperor Charles V within the broader context of a specific cultural policy. This policy would later be fleshed out in the scientific project of the Spanish Crown under Philip II, inseparable as it was from the monarch’s political and religious policy.
Phonological span in children and adults: Does response format matter?
Authors: Oesterlen Eva , Seitz-Stein Katja
Published: April 2019

In contrast to classical phonological span tasks, which require verbal recall, those used in self-reliant, group-administrable working memory measurement contain a visuospatial response format. As a consequence, these tasks involve recoding, executive, and visual search requirements in addition to encoding and storage processes. To examine age-dependent effects of these special requirements, tablet-based word and digit span tasks with a visuospatial response format were compared to corresponding tasks with a verbal response format in first and second graders, third and fourth graders, and adults ( N = 105). Whereas children’s performance was impaired by the visuospatial response format, adults’ performance was not. Whether the arrangement of stimuli in the visuospatial response format—either variable or fixed—has differential effects on performance in children and adults ( N = 434) was examined in a second experiment. No substantial differences between variable and fixed response format were found in any of the age groups. Possible underlying mechanisms for age-dependent effects of response format and the role of executive functions and visual search in automatized phonological span tasks are discussed.
From Hegel to Foucault and back? On Axel Honneth’s interpretation of neoliberalism
Authors: Fazio Giorgio
Published: April 2019

The article is focused on the role that the question of neoliberalism plays in Axel Honneth’s work. The author aims to show that when Honneth tries to conceptualize the very nature of the neoliberal transformations, he is forced to abandon some of the presumptions that underlie the systematic approach developed in his most important work, Freedom’s Right. It seems to emerge from Honneth’s studies on neoliberalism, not only the difficulty of analysing the capitalist market economy as a sphere of social liberty, as presupposed in Freedom’s Right, but also a much less consensual and teleological image of contemporary societies – an image in which norms and values are always intertwined with mechanisms of power, social integration is always also based on the exercise of domination, force and ideology and the capitalist can also exist without a background of shared normative orientations. The author suggests finally that, in order to give a better account of the neoliberal transformations, one should rediscover the importance of the original Gramscian category of cultural and political hegemony.
Rethinking socialism with Axel Honneth
Authors: Petrucciani Stefano
Published: April 2019

The aim of the article is to develop some critical reflections about Honneth’s redefinition of socialism. Starting from Honneth’s theory, the article develops a vision of socialism as the theoretical and practical activity of transformation of all those modes of relation that, in the different spheres of social life, cause some individuals to be subjected to forms of exclusion and domination. But, according to Petrucciani, this is a vision of ‘socialist justice’ which has to be integrated by a socialist idea of the good life. From this point of view, socialism should aim not only at realizing equal opportunities for all individuals, but also at reducing to a (necessary) minimum the aspects of competition and antagonism between subjects and at promoting relations based on cooperation and solidarity.
Does talking matter? A quasi-experiment assessing the impact of deliberation and information on opinion change
Authors: O’Malley Eoin , Farrell David M , Suiter Jane
Published: April 2019

Deliberative democracy is for many the most significant development in democratic theory in the last 50 years and it has been used in some places to solve real-world policy problems. However, measuring the impact of deliberative methods is not clearly achievable because several independent variables are manipulated simultaneously. One of the main goals of deliberation is opinion change and thus it is important to understand why opinions change. This paper utilises comparison groups in order to isolate the impact of deliberation from information in the deliberative process. We outline the results of a quasi-experiment in which deliberation took place in a citizens’ assembly (CA) in Ireland. As part of this we measured the impact using pre- and post-test controls, including a group given the information the CA participants received, but without the deliberation. The results of the analysis provide evidence of a separate deliberation effect.
Endocrine Disruptors: A Critical Review of In Vitro and In Vivo Testing Strategies for Assessing Their Toxic Hazard to Humans
Authors: Combes Robert D.
Published: April 2019

Currently, there is much concern that a wide range of both synthetic and naturally occurring environmental chemicals can act as endocrine disruptors (EDs), and can adversely affect humans and wildlife. Many in vivo and in vitro tests have been proposed for screening EDs, and several regulatory agencies, including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have recommended tier-testing schemes. Unfortunately, most of the proposed toxicity tests have substantial problems, including non-specificity and lack of reproducibility. There is also uncertainty concerning their relevance for generating useful hazard data for risk assessment purposes, in view of the diversity of the possible ED mechanisms of action (for example, receptor binding, steroidogenesis and modulation of the homeostatic processes which regulate endogenous responses to hormones). Moreover, most of the suggested test methods have yet to be validated according to internationally accepted criteria, although the OECD and the US EPA have defined tests for validation, and an interlaboratory “prevalidation” exercise has been initiated by the OECD. All this is compounded by the lack of information regarding human exposure levels to EDs, and a lack of direct evidence for a causal link between exposure and the development of adverse human health effects. In addition, the regulatory testing of EDs has important negative implications for animal welfare, as some of the proposed in vivo tests require large group sizes of animals and stressful procedures. From a detailed analysis of the available published literature, it is concluded that it is impossible to assess the relative values of currently available in vitro and in vivo toxicity tests for EDs, or to recommend any test or test battery. Any plans for the widespread testing of EDs are therefore premature and might be unnecessary, at least for detecting possible human effects. Several recommendations are made for rectifying this unsatisfactory situation, including the postponement of screening programmes pending: a) more information on human exposure; b) further details of the mechanisms of action of EDs; and c) the development of improved tests, followed by their proper scientific validation.
Evaluation of Various Immunisation Procedures in Laying Hens to Induce High Amounts of Specific Egg Yolk Antibodies
Authors: Erhard Michael H. , Mahn Katja , Schmidt Peter , Oltmer Susanne , Preisinger Rudolf , Zinsmeister Pia , Stangassinger Manfred
Published: April 2019

The present study, involving 972 laying hens divided into 162 groups (n = 6), was aimed at the development of an immunisation protocol for laying hens to produce specific egg yolk antibodies. Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbst), Escherichia coli pilus antigen K88 (K88), human serum immunoglobulin G (IgG), and low density lipoprotein (LDL) were used as antigens, each at four different doses (rbst, K88, LDL: 1μg, 10μg, 100μg, 1mg; IgG: 0.5μg, 5μg, 50μg, 0.5mg). Three subcutaneous or intramuscular immunisations were performed at intervals of four weeks. The adjuvant used was either the lipopeptide Pam3Cys-Ser-(Lys)4 (PCSL) or Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA), in two different doses (PCSL: 0.1 and 0.25mg; FIA: 0.1 and 0.25ml). In the four antigen control groups, hens were immunised without any adjuvant. In two negative control groups, only physiological saline was injected. The mean egg weight and egg yield were not influenced by the immunisation procedures. An antigen dose of 10–100g per injection was sufficient to induce high specific antibody titres in the egg yolk. The adjuvant efficacy of PCSL and FIA was proved to be the same (p < 0.05 versus antigen control). With PCSL as adjuvant, some groups showed a tendency to produce even higher specific antibody titres than did FIA groups. A second booster often caused a further significant increase in the amounts of specific antibodies, especially with PCSL. Subcutaneous administration of the antigen together with 250μg PCSL, resulted in a significantly higher immune response than when FIA was used.