bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IMPROVED FRACTAL IMAGE COMPRESSION BASED ON ROBUST FEATURE DESCRIPTORS
Authors: SCHWARTZ WILLIAM ROBSON , PEDRINI HELIO
Published: January 2012

Fractal image compression is one of the most promising techniques for image compression due to advantages such as resolution independence and fast decompression. It exploits the fact that natural scenes present self-similarity to remove redundancy and obtain high compression rates with smaller quality degradation compared to traditional compression methods. The main drawback of fractal compression is its computationally intensive encoding process, due to the need for searching regions with high similarity in the image. Several approaches have been developed to reduce the computational cost to locate similar regions. In this work, we propose a method based on robust feature descriptors to speed up the encoding time. The use of robust features provides more discriminative and representative information for regions of the image. When the regions are better represented, the search for similar parts of the image can be reduced to focus only on the most likely matching candidates, which leads to reduction on the computational time. Our experimental results show that the use of robust feature descriptors reduces the encoding time while keeping high compression rates and reconstruction quality.
A MODEL TO EVALUATE STAKEHOLDER DYNAMICS DURING INNOVATION IMPLEMENTATION
Authors: POSTEMA TIM , GROEN AARD , KRABBENDAM KOOS
Published: January 2012

The introduction of innovations in organizations with high professionalization seems to lead to mixed results in practice. It is widely known that innovation adoption success is largely dependent on user commitment and absorption of the innovation in work processes. However, the hardest task for any person interested in innovation implementation activities is how to achieve high levels of commitment and acceptance of those stakeholders that matter the most. In this article, we argue that much can be gained by having good insights in indicators of both influence and acceptance of stakeholders during innovation implementation and adoption phases; the so-called stakeholder dynamics. To gain insights in a stakeholder's potential influence and potential acceptance of the innovation during the innovation implementation project, we argue that stakeholder capacity and intentions are key characteristics. By reviewing relevant theoretical foundations relating to innovation implementation, technology acceptance and stakeholder theory, we argue that literature considering the combination of both capacity as well as intentions in an integrated evaluation model is scarce.

In this article, we are presenting a synthesized model and methodology for the iterative evaluation of stakeholder dynamics during innovation implementations; the stakeholder-based innovation acceptance web (SIAW). Insights in the combination of capacity and intentions dimensions can help in focussing and matching engagement strategies. The practical model, as part of the iterative methodology, aids in visualizing and classifying stakeholders in order to determine stakeholder engagement priorities during an innovation implementation project.
ANTI-PERIODIC SOLUTIONS FOR A CLASS OF 2nTH-ORDER NONLINEAR DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS WITH DELAYS
Authors: Li Yongkun , Zhang Tianwei
Published: January 2012

By applying a fixed point theorem of coincidence degree theory, some criteria are established for the existence of anti-periodic solutions to a class of 2nth-order nonlinear differential equations with delays in the form of [Formula: see text] We extend some recent results to obtain a completely new result. Finally, some examples are given to illustrate our result.
PLAN OR REACT? ANALYSIS OF ADAPTATION COSTS AND BENEFITS USING INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT MODELS
Authors: AGRAWALA SHARDUL , BOSELLO FRANCESCO , CARRARO CARLO , DE BRUIN KELLY , DE CIAN ENRICA , DELLINK ROB , LANZI ELISA
Published: January 2012

This report examines adaptation and mitigation within an integrated framework. Global and regional costs of adaptation are assessed dynamically and the resulting benefits are quantified. This is accomplished by developing a framework to incorporate adaptation as a policy variable within three Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs); the global Dynamic Integrated model of Climate and the Economy (DICE), the Regional Integrated model of Climate and the Economy (RICE), and the World Induced Technical Change Hybrid (WITCH) model. The framework developed here takes into account investments in reactive adaptation and in adaptation "stocks", as well as investments in building adaptive capacity. This report presents the first inter-model comparison of results on adaptation costs using the emerging category of adaptation-IAMs. Results show that least-cost policy response to climate change will need to involve subsantial amounts of mitigation efforts, investments in adaptation stock, reactive adaptation measures and adaptive capacity to limit the remaining damages.
Discovering and Characterizing Hidden Variables Using a Novel Neural Network Architecture: LO-Net
Authors: Ray Soumi , Oates Tim
Published: January 2012

Theoretical entities are aspects of the world that cannot be sensed directly but that, nevertheless, are causally relevant. Scientific inquiry has uncovered many such entities, such as black holes and dark matter. We claim that theoretical entities, or hidden variables, are important for the development of concepts within the lifetime of an individual and present a novel neural network architecture that solves three problems related to theoretical entities: (1) discovering that they exist, (2) determining their number, and (3) computing their values. Experiments show the utility of the proposed approach using discrete time dynamical systems, in which some of the state variables are hidden, and sensor data obtained from the camera of a mobile robot, in which the sizes and locations of objects in the visual field are observed but their sizes and locations (distances) in the three-dimensional world are not. Two different regularization terms are explored that improve the network's ability to approximate the values of hidden variables, and the performance and capabilities of the network are compared to that of Hidden Markov Models.
A Generalization of a Logarithmic Sobolev Inequality to the Hölder Class
Authors: Ibrahim H.
Published: January 2012

In a recent work of the author, a parabolic extension of the elliptic Ogawa type inequality has been established. This inequality is originated from the Brézis-Gallouët-Wainger logarithmic type inequalities revealing Sobolev embeddings in the critical case. In this paper, we improve the parabolic version of Ogawa inequality by allowing it to cover not only the class of functions from Sobolev spaces, but also the wider class of Hölder continuous functions.
Vascular Complications and Diabetes: Current Therapies and Future Challenges
Authors: Willard Abbott L. , Herman Ira M.
Published: January 2012

Diabetic retinal complications, including macular edema (DME) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), are the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20–74. Chronic hyperglycemia, considered the underlying cause of diabetic retinopathy, is thought to act first through violation of the pericyte-endothelial coupling. Disruption of microvascular integrity leads to pathologic consequences including hypoxia-induced imbalance in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling. Several anti-VEGF medications are in clinical trials for use in arresting retinal angiogenesis arising from DME and PDR. Although a review of current clinical trials shows promising results, the lack of large prospective studies, head-to-head therapeutic comparisons, and potential long-term and systemic adverse events give cause for optimistic caution. Alternative therapies including targeting pathogenic specific angiogenesis and mural-cell-based therapeutics may offer innovative solutions for currently intractable clinical problems. This paper describes the mechanisms behind diabetic retinal complications, current research supporting anti-VEGF medications, and future therapeutic directions.
Apolar Compounds in Seaweeds from Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (Northeastern Coast of Brazil)
Authors: Ferreira Leandro De Santis , Turatti Izabel Cristina Casanova , Lopes Norberto Peporine , Guaratini Thais , Colepicolo Pio , Oliveira Filho Eurico Cabral , Garla Ricardo Clapis
Published: January 2012

Hyphenated techniques of gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometer were used to determine fatty acids in eleven species of seaweeds from Fernando de Noronha archipelago. The main compounds detected in all studied species were the alcohol phytol and the fatty acids 14 : 0; 15 : 0; 16 : 0; 18 : 0; 18 : 1 n9; 18 : 2 Δ9,12; 20 : 4; 20 : 5. These fatty acids are commonly found in seaweeds present in warm regions. Thus, we found no specificity in the presence of a particular set of fatty acids and the studied species indicating that they are not useful as taxonomic indicators. However, they could be used in a comparative study with algae found in polluted area because many of the studied seaweeds are widespread and Fernando de Noronha has low human influence.
Sensitization to Cockroach Allergen: Immune Regulation and Genetic Determinants
Authors: Gao Peisong
Published: January 2012

Asthma is a major public health concern. Cockroach allergen exposure and cockroach allergic sensitization could contribute to the higher prevalence of asthma. However, the underlying immune mechanism and the genetic etiology remain unclear. Recent advances have demonstrated that several receptors (PAR-2, TLRs, CLRs) and their pathways mediate antigen uptake from the environment and induce allergies by signaling T cells to activate an inappropriate immune response. Cockroach-derived protease can disturb airway epithelial integrity via PAR-2 and leads to an increased penetration of cockroach allergen, resulting in activation of innate immune cells (e.g., DCs) via binding to either TLRs or CLRs. The activated DCs can direct cells of the adaptive immune system to facilitate promotion of Th2 cell response and subsequently increase risk of sensitization. Mannose receptor (MR), as a CLR, has been shown to mediate Bla g2 (purified cockroach allergen) uptake by DCs and to determine allergen-induced T cell polarization. Additionally, genetic factors may play an important role in conferring the susceptibility to cockroach sensitization. Several genes have been associated with cockroach sensitization and related phenotypes (HLA-D, TSLP, IL-12A, MBL2). In this review, we have focused on studies on the cockroach allergen induced immunologic responses and genetic basis for cockroach sensitization.
Posture and Locomotion Coupling: A Target for Rehabilitation Interventions in Persons with Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Mille Marie-Laure , Creath Robert A. , Prettyman Michelle G. , Johnson Hilliard Marjorie , Martinez Katherine M. , MacKinnon Colum D. , Rogers Mark W.
Published: January 2012

Disorders of posture, balance, and gait are debilitating motor manifestations of advancing Parkinson's disease requiring rehabilitation intervention. These problems often reflect difficulties with coupling or sequencing posture and locomotion during complex whole body movements linked with falls. Considerable progress has been made with demonstrating the effectiveness of exercise interventions for individuals with Parkinson's disease. However, gaps remain in the evidence base for specific interventions and the optimal content of exercise interventions. Using a conceptual theoretical framework and experimental findings, this perspective and review advances the viewpoint that rehabilitation interventions focused on separate or isolated components of posture, balance, or gait may limit the effectiveness of current clinical practices. It is argued that treatment effectiveness may be improved by directly targeting posture and locomotion coupling problems as causal factors contributing to balance and gait dysfunction. This approach may help advance current clinical practice and improve outcomes in rehabilitation for persons with Parkinson's disease.
Reconstructing Dead Nonhuman Animals: Motivations for Becoming a Taxidermist
Authors: Eliason Stephen L.
Published: January 2012

Abstract

Displays of dead nonhuman animals are a common sight on the walls of many American homes and commercial establishments. Taxidermists are the individuals who preserve and attempt to re-create dead animals, birds, and fish so they can be displayed. Little is known about those employed in the profession, including characteristics of individuals who enter this line of work. Using a qualitative approach to data collection, this exploratory research examined motivations for becoming a taxidermist in Montana. Findings suggest that Montana taxidermists entered the profession for one of five main reasons: an interest in wildlife, a desire to mount their own trophies, a hobby that became a job, the necessity of changing jobs, and miscellaneous motivations.
The Relationship between Empathy and Personality in Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes toward Nonhuman Animals
Authors: Eckardt Erlanger Ann C. , Tsytsarev Sergei V.
Published: January 2012

Abstract

The majority of research investigating beliefs toward nonhuman animals has focused on vivisection or utilized populations with clear views on animal issues (e.g., animal rights activists). Minimal research has been conducted on what personality factors influence a nonclinical or nonadjudicated population’s beliefs about the treatment of animals. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of empathy and personality traits in attitudes about the treatment of animals in 241 undergraduate students. Results indicated that those with high levels of empathy held more positive attitudes toward animals and more negative beliefs about animal cruelty than those with low levels of empathy. Some differences in participants’ specific attitudes toward animals were found. Limitations and implications for future research are reviewed.
From Blubber and Baleen to Buddha of the Deep: The Rise of the Metaphysical Whale
Authors: Zelko Frank
Published: January 2012

Abstract

Human attitudes to various nonhuman animals have varied considerably across cultures and throughout time. While some of our responses are undoubtedly instinctive and universal—a visceral fear of large carnivores or the feeling of spontaneous warmth for creatures exhibiting high degrees of neoteny—it is clear that our attitude toward specific species is largely shaped by our innate anthropomorphism: that is, when we think about animals, we are also thinking about ourselves. There are few better examples of this than the shifting attitudes toward whales and dolphins throughout the 20th century, particularly among citizens of Western democracies. This article narrates the cultural history of this development and demonstrates how the current enchantment with whales and dolphins is primarily the result of two broad—and related—cultural developments: the modern entertainment complex, particularly cinema, television, and aquatic theme parks; and the 1960s counterculture, with its potent blend of holistic ecology, speculative neuroscience, and mysticism. The result was the creation of what we might think of as the “metaphysical whale,” a creature who has inspired the abolitionist stance toward whaling.
Nocturnal Continental Low-Level Stratus over Tropical West Africa: Observations and Possible Mechanisms Controlling Its Onset
Authors: Schrage Jon M. , Fink Andreas H.
Published: January 2012

Some spatiotemporal characteristics and possible mechanisms controlling the onset of the widespread, low-level nocturnal stratiform clouds that formed during May–October 2006 over southern tropical West Africa are investigated using cloudiness observations from surface weather stations, data from various satellite platforms, and surface-based remote sensing profiles at Nangatchori in central Benin. It is found that the continental stratus is lower than the maritime stratus over the Gulf of Guinea and persists well into the noon hours. For the study period, a clear seasonal cycle was documented, as well as a dependence on latitude with the cloudiest zone north of the coastal zone and south of approximately 9°N. It is also shown that nonprecipitating clear and cloudy nights observed at Nangatchori in central Benin often reflect clearer and cloudier than normal conditions over a wide region of southern West Africa. At Nangatchori, on average the stratus developed at 0236 UTC (about local time) with an extremely low cloud base at 172 m (above ground level) when averaged over all cloudy nights. About 2–3 h before cloudiness onset, a distinct nighttime low-level jet formed that promoted static destabilization and a low Richardson number flow underneath it. The ensuing vertical upward mixing of moisture that accumulated under the near-surface inversion after sunset caused the cloud formation. It is argued that a strong shear underneath the nighttime low-level jet is the major process for cloud formation, but the low-level static stability and the time scale of the shear-driven mixing are other potential factors.
Springtime Fire Weather in Tasmania, Australia: Two Case Studies
Authors: Fox-Hughes Paul
Published: January 2012

A number of severe springtime fire weather events have occurred in Tasmania, Australia, in recent years. Two such events are examined here in some detail, in an attempt to understand the mechanisms involved in the events. Both events exhibit strong winds and very low surface dewpoint temperatures. Associated 850-hPa wind–dewpoint depression conditions are extreme in both cases, and evaluation of these quantities against a scale of past occurrences may provide a useful early indicator of future severe events. Both events also feature the advection of air from drought-affected continental Australia ahead of cold fronts. This air reaches the surface in the lee of Tasmanian topography by the action of the föehn effect. In one event, there is good evidence of an intrusion of stratospheric, high potential vorticity (PV), air, supplementing the above mechanism and causing an additional peak in airmass dryness and wind speed.
Simplexity: Sensemaking, organizing and storytelling for our time
Authors: Colville Ian , Brown Andrew D , Pye Annie
Published: January 2012

Simplexity is advanced as an umbrella term reflecting sensemaking, organizing and storytelling for our time. People in and out of organizations increasingly find themselves facing novel circumstances that are suffused with dynamic complexity. To make sense through processes of organizing, and to find a plausible answer to the question ‘what is the story?’, requires a fusion of sufficient complexity of thought with simplicity of action, which we call simplexity. This captures the notion that while sensemaking is a balance between thinking and acting, in a new world that owes less to yesterday’s stories and frames, keeping up with the times changes the balance point to clarifying through action. This allows us to see sense (making) more clearly.
Doing Good and Doing Well
Authors: Maier Adam
Published: January 2012

In recent years, Teach for America (TFA) has placed thousands of high-achieving college graduates in hard-to-staff schools, and its popularity continues to grow. TFA thus represents an anomaly: it attracts higher education’s top students to primary and secondary education’s least desired jobs. This article reviews the current explanations for TFA’s success and draws from credentialism theory to explain how these theories overlook a key characteristic differentiating TFA from other programs, and how this difference limits TFA’s generalizability. Using credentialism theory, previous research, and official recruitment messages, this article delineates TFA’s use and exchange values and finds that TFA, by recruiting noneducation majors from prestigious universities, remaining selective, embedding members in a resource-rich social network, and increasing access and reducing the costs for its members to connect to nonteaching career ladders, has increased its credential’s exchange value relative to other preparation programs. The research and policy implications of TFA’s high exchange value are discussed.
Early Research on Renal Function and Drug Action
Authors: Reidenberg Marcus M.
Published: January 2012

Since the 1960s, systematic studies of drug action in renal failure have found many differences between patients with renal failure and those without. Impaired excretion of drugs was known much earlier and was related to glomerular filtration rate. Kunin first tabulated the pharmacokinetics of antimicrobials and dosage recommendations for azotemic patients in 1967. (Other effects of renal failure on drug action include increases in some pathways of drug metabolism with decreases in others and no change in the rest. Some changes in specific drug distribution, drug‐protein binding, and drug sensitivity have been demonstrated. This knowledge makes the response of an azotemic patient to a specific dose of a specific drug more predictable than before. This predictability makes drug therapy both safer and more effective for azotemic patients.
Characterizing the Impact of Renal Impairment on the Clinical Pharmacology of Biologics
Authors: Meibohm Bernd , Zhou Honghui
Published: January 2012

Similar to small‐molecule drugs, there is also concern for protein‐based therapeutics about their clinical use in patients with renal impairment including renal insufficiency and end‐stage renal disease, which may modulate the efficacy and/or safety profile of these compounds. Theoretical considerations and clinical evidence suggest that the kidneys play a relevant role in the catabolism and thus elimination of only those protein therapeutics that have a size below the cutoff for glomerular filtration of approximately 60 kDa. Thus, the effect of renal impairment on protein therapeutics seems to be predictable and only relevant for compounds below this molecular weight cutoff. This is supported by clinical evidence that shows a lack of effect of renal impairment on large proteins such as monoclonal antibodies, whereas smaller proteins below the cutoff such as interleukin‐10, growth hormone, erythropoietin, and anakinra experience a gradual decrease of their clearance and increase of their systemic exposure with increasing severity of renal impairment. Thus, dedicated renal impairment studies are warranted in the clinical development program of protein therapeutics that undergo glomerular filtration to establish the scientific rationale for their safe and efficacious use in patients with renal insufficiency.
Evangelical Church Polity and the Nuances of White Flight
Authors: Mulder Mark T.
Published: January 2012

Present patterns of residential segregation have been proven to have antecedents in the so-called white flight of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Close scrutiny of this social phenomenon has yielded results that indicate complicated impetuses and call into question sweeping assumptions about white flight. A case study of seven congregations from a denomination called the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC) who left the Englewood and Roseland neighborhoods of Chicago during the juncture in question further reveals the dubious role of religious practices and arrangements in the out-migration of white evangelical Christians. By utilizing church histories, council minutes, and field interviews, it became readily apparent that the departure of the members of these congregations found sanction within the hierarchical apparatus (or lack thereof) of the church. The response of these CRC congregations exemplified how the political structures (congregational polity) and social networks of a particular denomination could allow for an almost seamless process of white flight.
Revealing the Empowerment Revolution: A Literature Review of the Model Cities Program
Authors: Weber Bret A. , Wallace Amanda
Published: January 2012

Lauded in its time, Model Cities dominated the final years of the War on Poverty only to be largely forgotten for nearly two decades. In 1966, new legislation led to the implementation of more than 150, five-year long, Model Cities experiments to develop new antipoverty programs and alternative forms of municipal government. Results included a renaissance of minority political leadership. Federal funds supported representatives of economically disadvantaged communities to become more involved in municipal politics; however, a change in the political climate just as these programs were beginning shifted the purpose of Model Cities to bricks and mortar housing and building projects, clouding subsequent analyses of the program. This article reviews related literature from early pieces on planning and implementation in the late 1960s, through a phase of misinterpretation and neglect in the 1980s and 1990s, to a re-emergent interest in Model Cities’ legacy and the phenomenon of citizen participation.
Hanging in the Balance
Authors: Cavanaugh Arezou Ghane , Sweeny Kate M.
Published: January 2012

People inevitably face moments of uncertainty as they await feedback regarding self-relevant life outcomes, but they react to this uncertainty with varying amounts of anxiety. Self-construal abstractness (SCA) may be one key predictor of anxiety in the face of uncertain outcomes. SCA refers to a broad self-concept based on generalizations rather than a detailed, low-level self-concept that is based on specific behaviors or events. The current studies examined SCA and anxiety over self-relevant uncertainty. Studies 1 and 2 measured naturally occurring levels of SCA and found that reflecting on an abstract self-construal buffered people from anxiety when upcoming evaluative feedback was highly self-relevant (Study 1) and immediate (Study 2). Study 3 revealed that SCA is equally effective as a buffer against anxiety when manipulated with a subtle prime. The potential for SCA to serve as the target for anxiety-reduction interventions in uncertain situations is discussed.
‘We are all vulnerable’
Authors: Perry Barbara , Alvi Shahid
Published: January 2012

Ironically, while scholars and policy-makers have long referred to hate crime as a ‘message crime’, the assumption that those beyond the immediate victim are likewise intimidated by the violence has gone untested. Grounded in a recent study of the community impacts of hate crime, we offer some insights into these in terrorem effects of hate crime. We present here some of our qualitative findings. Interestingly, our findings suggest that, in many ways, awareness of violence directed toward another within an identifiable target group yields strikingly similar patterns of emotional and behavioural responses among vicarious victims. They, too, note a complex syndrome of reactions, including shock, anger, fear/vulnerability, inferiority, and a sense of the normativity of violence. And, like the proximal victim, the distal victims often engage in subsequent behavioural shifts, such as changing patterns of social interaction. On a positive note, there is also some evidence that these reactions can culminate not in withdrawal, but in the potential for community mobilization.
Natural Right to Grow and Die in the Form of Wholeness: A Philosophical Interpretation of the Ontological Status of Brain-dead Children
Authors: Morioka Masahiro
Published: January 2012

In this paper, I would like to argue that brain-dead small children have a natural right not to be invaded by other people even if their organs can save the lives of other suffering patients. My basic idea is that growing human beings have the right to grow in the form of wholeness, and dying human beings also have the right to die in the form of wholeness; in other words, they have the right to be protected from outside invasion, unless they have declared their wish to abandon that right beforehand. I call this the principle of wholeness. Natural rights, which were discussed by Hobbes and Locke in the 17th century, have to be extended to include the right to grow and die in the form of wholeness in the age of scientific civilization, where peripheral human lives are being threatened by aggressive biomedicine and other advanced technologies.
External CFRP repairing of pretested beams reinforced using prestress rebars
Authors: Jayaprakash J. , Pournasiri Emad , Choong K. K. , Tan C. G. , De'nan Fatimah
Published: January 2012

This paper presents experimental and theoretical investigations on flexural CFRP strengthening/repairing of pretested (i.e., damaged) beams reinforced using prestress rebars. Six beams were fabricated and tested under a four-point bending system to failure. The internal longitudinal tensile and transverse steel reinforcements of these beams were reinforced using prestress and mild steel rebars, respectively. After the application of load, these pretested (i.e. damaged) beams were repaired and tested using externally bonded Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) reinforcement. This study investigated the effects of number of CFRP plies, three different grades of concrete, and wrapping layouts. The results confirm that the CFRP repaired beams reinforced with prestress rebars efficiently increased the flexural capacity, however the trend of ductility was inadequate as in damaged-unstrengthened beams. Experimental results show that the flexural capacity of the repaired beams increased to a maximum enhancement of 172.4% over the damaged-unstrengthened beam. It was experimentally observed that CFRP repaired beams with low grade of concrete could provide better performanceas compared to higher grades of concrete. The comparison of experimental and theoretical results had good agreement for higher grades of concrete, whereas, in case of low grade concrete, the experimental results were relatively greater than the theoretical results.
Reconstruction of flash flood victims lost residence utilizing lightweight sandwich composite technology
Authors: Wafa Mahmoud A. , Gutub S.A. , Fukuzawa K.
Published: January 2012

Traditional building materials may not be appropriate in view of the urgency in dealing with flash flood victims which need for immediate replacement of destroyed housing at a reasonable cost. Thus, the solution lies in making the best use of lightweight sandwich composite technology for flash flood victims lost residence in a short time. Therefore, this research focuses on comprehensive comparisons in bending of LWF sandwich/concrete (RC) composite beams. The flexural response of the LWF/RC beams is investigated in terms of crack load, load–deflection curves, stiffness, energy absorption capacity, ductility index, ultimate flexural load-to-weight ratio, load–strain curves, crack patterns, number of cracks, average crack width, crack spacing, and the failure mode. The test results reveal the remarkable enhancement in the flexural behavior and potential application for reconstruction of flash flood victims lost residence utilizing lightweight sandwich composite technology. The method outlined by ACI Building Code is used to compute ultimate moment capacities. The results obtained using this method are compared with the experimental results.
Newspaper coverage of post political election violence in Africa: an assessment of the Kenyan example
Authors: Onyebadi Uche , Oyedeji Tayo
Published: January 2012

The media in Africa are often indicted for being partly responsible for the conflicts and tensions in the continent, and the role of the radio in escalating the 1994 genocide in Rwanda is frequently cited in support of this indictment. This article examines newspaper reports of the post 2007 presidential election violence in Kenya and finds a contrast to the Rwandan ‘model’. Although the newspapers analysed did not provide any forewarning about the impending crisis, they relentlessly published news stories and house editorials that addressed peace-building in the country. The authors suggest that the Kenyan example raises two main issues: (a) the media can play functional roles in de-escalating conflicts in Africa; and (b) reporters should be society’s moral witnesses, not ‘objective’ bystanders, who watch and report on the collapse of humanity.
‘Fair Horizons’: a person-centred, non-discriminatory model of mental healthcare delivery
Authors: Fear Chris , Scheepers Mark , Ansell Martin , Richards Rosemary , Winterbottom Paul
Published: January 2012

Aims and method

Service access is currently determined primarily by age and intellectual function and, unwittingly, is discriminatory. Our aim is to develop a novel, person-centred, non-discriminatory model of mental healthcare delivery. We sought the views of people who use services, carers, commissioners and local politicians.

Results

The model represents a major change programme that commenced in September 2011.

Clinical implications

By integrating specialist mental health services, with a single access point, and mapping of care to the person's needs, rather than their circumstances we hope to have developed a greatly improved and fairer service. A similar model could be adopted in other locations nationally.
Winning Hearts and Minds in Early Fifteenth-Century France: Burgundian Propaganda in Perspective
Authors: Hutchison Emily J.
Published: January 2012

The fifteenth-century civil war between the Burgundians and the Armagnacs traces its origin back to the aggressive dispute between John, duke of Burgundy (d. 1419), and his first cousin, Louis, duke of Orléans (d. 1407), in 1405–7. Presenting himself as a champion of the people and a reformer prince, John used his popularity to acquire more control over the royal government. As a case study for analyzing the intersection of political thought and action through the mediating force of communication in premodern France, this article compares John’s propaganda strategy to that of his Orleanist/Armagnac rivals. John’s propaganda benefited from speed, initiative, and consistency, and his rhetoric simultaneously attended to the anxieties of the king’s subjects and to wider trends in political thought. Conversely, his rivals were forced into emitting defensive counterpropaganda, which failed to inspire widespread support because it centered predominantly on their personal honor.

Le commencement de la guerre civile entre les Bourguignons et les Armagnacs remonte au conflit entre Jean Sans Peur, duc de Bourgogne (d. 1419), et son cousin germain, Louis, duc d’Orléans (d. 1407). Ce premier se présentait réformateur et champion du peuple. La popularité parmi les sujets du roi qu’il a donc atteinte lui a rendu de plus en plus de puissance au conseil royal. Son succès visàvis de ses rivaux, les Armagnacs, peut être attribué à une polémique constante et pénétrante qu’il diffusait toujours avec rapidité, et qui se conformait à la fois aux théories politiques courantes et aux intérêts du peuple. En revanche, la contre-propagande de ses rivaux qui se penchait plutôt sur l’honneur personnel n’arriva pas à émouvoir le peuple. Cette étude interroge le point de convergence entre la théorie et les actes politiques au quinzième siècle à l’aide du système de communication de l’époque.
Motivated Reasoning and Public Opinion
Authors: Strickland April A. , Taber Charles S. , Lodge Milton
Published: January 2012

Citizens, especially those who are knowledgeable and care the most about politics, are motivated to defend their beliefs and attitudes in the face of discrepant information. These motivated biases strongly influence the way people think about health care policies and the politicians and parties that propose or attack these contentious policies. Three cognitive mechanisms are identified: a prior belief effect, confirmation bias, and disconfirmation bias. Together, these information processes conspire to produce persistence and polarization of opinion on health care policies.
The Dynamics of Health Care Opinion, 2008–2010: Partisanship, Self-Interest, and Racial Resentment
Authors: Henderson Michael , Hillygus D. Sunshine
Published: January 2012

Recent debate over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act highlights the extent of party polarization in Washington. While the partisan divide on this issue is stark among political elites, it is less clear how the mass electorate has responded to this divisive conflict. In this article we examine individual-level dynamics in health care attitudes between 2008 and 2010. We find partisan attachments and self-interests strongly predict change in health care attitudes, with Republicans growing more opposed to universal health insurance between 2008 and 2010, and those personally worried about medical expenses less likely to abandon support. We find, however, that the effect of partisanship is moderated by self-interest, with strong Republicans significantly less likely to switch to opposition if they were personally worried about medical expenses. Finally, we find that health care policy preferences, already tinged with racial attitudes in 2008, became increasingly so by 2010.
Developing Robust Faecal near Infrared Spectroscopy Calibrations to Predict Diet Dry Matter Digestibility in Cattle Consuming Tropical Forages
Authors: Coates D.B. , Dixon R.M.
Published: January 2012

Various studies, mainly from temperate areas, have reported calibrations developed from the near infrared (NIR) spectra of faeces (F.NIRS) for predicting diet digestibility in ruminants and there has been substantial variation in predictive accuracy as indicated by calibration and validation statistics. The present study was conducted to develop and examine the reliability and robustness of F.NIRS calibration equations to estimate dry matter digestibility (DMD) of forage diets ingested by cattle grazing in the rangelands of northern Australia. A large and diverse calibration data set of matched diet–faecal pairs was obtained over 10 years using three sampling methods: (1) grazed pasture with diet samples collected from oesophageal fistulated steers and faeces collected from resident cattle; (2) in vivo digestibility experiments with penned cattle fed forage hays; and (3) penned cattle fed pasture freshly harvested from the field. Estimated in vivo DMD reference values were determined using pepsin–cellulase in vitro analysis of diet samples. The final calibration set of 1052 samples represented 264 diets with DMD ranging from 38% to 75%. Calibration statistics for DMD% were: standard error of calibration = 1.87, standard error of cross validation = 1.91, and the coefficient of determination, r2 = 0.90. Factors of particular importance, with regard to the accuracy of DMD reference values, are identified and discussed and recommendations made for minimising reference errors. A comprehensive series of independent validation tests was conducted by selecting validation sample sets from the entire sample set according to a range of criteria. Each validation sub-set was tested using the calibration calculated from the remainder of the sample set. These tests showed that sampling method and experimental site often had important effects on calibration statistics and performance and also that the standard error of performance of the overall calibration would likely be <2.5 DMD percentage units when applied to samples sourced from regions and pasture types represented in the calibration. Despite the large size and diversity of the calibration data set it was concluded that robustness would likely be improved by expansion of the calibration data set.
Interaction of (−)-Epigallocatechin Gallate and Silver Colloid with Bovine Serum Albumin
Authors: Chandra Goutam Kumar , Tripathy Debi Ranjan , Roy Anushree , Dasgupta Swagata
Published: January 2012

The interaction between borate-ion-stabilized silver (Ag) nanoparticles and (–)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has been investigated. The added EGCG molecules chelate with the borate ions to form a borate ester. This complex provides a better stability to the metal particles by formation of a cap around them. The spectral line profile of the surface plasmon resonance band of the metal particles has been used to probe the metal–molecule interactions. The withdrawal of electron density from the surface of the Ag particle by the phenolic group of EGCG molecule results in a red-shift of the surface plasmon resonance band of the particles in the sol. In this study we show that both borate-ester-capped Ag nanoparticles and the borate ester itself can be transported by blood plasma serum albumin.
Ultraviolet–Visible Diffuse Reflection Investigation of the Thermal Decomposition of Samarium Trichloride Hexahydrate
Authors: Paul Pete B. , Lawson Patrick A. , Yi John T. , Stump Nathan A.
Published: January 2012

The thermal decomposition of the hexahydrate of samarium trichloride under an air atmosphere and under low pressure has been monitored through the use of ultraviolet–visible (UV-vis) diffuse reflection spectroscopy. The unique ability of lanthanide spectroscopy to investigate the near environment surrounding the samarium ion allowed for the identification of the hexa-, penta-, tetra-, tri-, di-, and monohydrates in both cases, as well as the formation of samarium oxychloride formed as the final decomposition product. The decomposition temperatures and the products observed in this report are compared to those obtained by other thermal and iso-thermal analyses of this compound, as well as the analogous decomposition of europium trichloride hexahydrate. Structural and environmental variations associated with the compounds, as indicated by the reflectance spectra, are discussed.
Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopy in the Solid and Liquid States: A Review
Authors: Ozaki Yukihiro , Morisawa Yusuke , Ikehata Akifumi , Higashi Noboru
Published: January 2012

Ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy has long been used together with visible (Vis) spectroscopy to investigate electronic transitions of a molecule. Most studies of the electronic structure of molecules using UV spectroscopy have been carried out in the 190–380 nm region because commercial UV-Vis spectrometers are available only for that region. The wavelength region shorter than 190 nm is also very rich in information about the electronic states and structure of a molecule, but the absorptivity is very high in this region, and thus, this region has been employed to investigate mainly the electronic states and structure of gas molecules. Because condensed-phase materials with high molecular density do not transmit much light in the shorter wavelength region of the UV, reflection spectroscopy has been used to observe spectra of solid samples in the wavelength region shorter than 190 nm. However, for liquid samples one cannot generally use either absorption spectroscopy or specular reflection spectroscopy. Accordingly, UV spectroscopy in this region for liquid samples has been a relatively undeveloped research area. To solve the above difficulties of UV spectroscopy in the wavelength region shorter than 190 nm we have recently developed a totally new UV spectrometer based on attenuated total reflection (ATR) that enables us to measure spectra of liquid and solid samples in the 140–280 nm region. We will show that spectroscopy in the wavelength region shorter than 190 nm holds considerable promise not only in basic science but also in applications such as qualitative and quantitative analysis, on-line monitoring, environmental geochemical analysis, and surface analysis. The purpose of the present review paper is to report recent progress in UV spectroscopy of solid and liquid phases in the 140–280 nm region. In this review, we refer to the 120–200 nm region to as the far-UV (FUV) region. The term “vacuum UV region” is no longer appropriate for the 120–200 nm region because most recent spectrometers used in this region are not evacuated but instead incorporate a nitrogen purge. This review consists of eight parts: (1) introduction to FUV spectroscopy, (2) brief history of FUV spectroscopy, (3) development of new FUV spectrometers, (4) FUV studies of liquid water and aqueous solutions, (5) FUV spectra of organic molecules in the liquid states, (6) band assignments by quantum chemical calculations, (7) potential applications of FUV spectroscopy in liquid and solid states; and (8) future prospects of FUV spectroscopy.
Characterization of Magnetic Transformation at Curie Temperature in Finemet-type Microwires by DSC
Authors: Kaloshkin Sergey , Churyukanova Margarita , Tcherdyntsev Victor
Published: January 2012

Finemet-type amorphous alloys are good soft magnetic materials due to their amorphous-nanocrystalline structure with close to zero magnetostriction. A very sensitive method for controlling relaxation and crystallization processes in such alloys is proposed. It consists in precise DSC measurements of heat capacity peak in the vicinity of the Curie temperature TC. Time-temperature dependencies of TC for microwires in comparison with ribbon shaped amorphous alloys were studied. Relaxation of atomic structure of amorphous phase during annealing was accompanied by an increase of TC. σ-shaped time dependencies are characterized by at least two relaxation processes, corresponding apparent values of activation energy were estimated. Decomposition of amorphous phase and redistribution of components between amorphous phase and growing nanocrystals affect the shape and position of the DSC peak at TC as well.

Study of microwires with glass coating revealed the influence of internal stress on the shape and position of the Curie peak on DSC curve: increase of internal strain tensions leads to suppression of the TC peak.
Evaluating greenhouse gas emissions inventories for agricultural burning using satellite observations of active fires
Authors: Lin Hsiao-Wen , Jin Yufang , Giglio Louis , Foley Jonathan A. , Randerson James T.
Published: January 2012

Fires in agricultural ecosystems emit greenhouse gases and aerosols that influence climate on multiple spatial and temporal scales. Annex 1 countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), many of which ratified the Kyoto Protocol, are required to report emissions of CH4 and N2O from these fires annually. In this study, we evaluated several aspects of this reporting system, including the optimality of the crops targeted by the UNFCCC globally and within Annex 1 countries, and the consistency of emissions inventories among different countries. We also evaluated the success of individual countries in capturing interannual variability and long‐term trends in agricultural fire activity. In our approach, we combined global high‐resolution maps of crop harvest area and production, derived from satellite maps and ground‐based census data, with Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) measurements of active fires. At a global scale, we found that adding ground nuts (e.g., peanuts), cocoa, cotton and oil palm, and removing potato, oats, rye, and pulse other from the list of 14 crops targeted by the UNFCCC increased the percentage of active fires covered by the reporting system by 9%. Optimization led to a different recommended list for Annex 1 countries, requiring the addition of sunflower, cotton, rapeseed, and alfalfa and the removal of beans, sugarcane, pulse others, and tuber‐root others. Extending emissions reporting to all Annex 1 countries (from the current set of 19 countries) would increase the efficacy of the reporting system from 6% to 15%, and further including several non‐Annex 1 countries (Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and Nigeria) would capture over 55% of active fires in croplands worldwide. Analyses of interannual trends from the United States and Australia showed the importance of both intensity of fire use and crop production in controlling year‐to‐year variations in agricultural fire emissions. Remote sensing provides an effective means for evaluating some aspects of the current UNFCCC emissions reporting system; and, if combined with census data, field experiments and expert opinion, has the potential to improve the robustness of the next generation inventory system.