bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling and characterization of piezoelectric beams based on an aluminum nitride thin‐film layer
Authors: Herth Etienne , Algré Emmanuelle , Rauch Jean‐Yves , Gerbedoen Jean‐Claude , Defrance Nicolas , Delobelle Patrick
Published: October 2015

This paper presents a method to determine the mechanical properties of piezoelectric thin films. The vibrational behavior of microcantilevers and clamped–clamped beams actuated by aluminum nitride (AlN) piezoelectric films were analyzed in order to investigate the suitability of these devices as characterization tools. Different geometries of resonators composed of a free‐standing structure made up of a TiPt/AlN/TiPt piezoelectric stack were tested. The out‐of‐plane motion of the resonators was assessed by laser Doppler vibrometry. An AlN Young's modulus of about 200 GPa was extracted from resonance‐frequency measurements by means of Comsol software simulations that allow taking into account AlN underetching. This value of Young's modulus was compared to the one measured by a nanoindentation technique. The quality of crystallinity was also assessed using X‐ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. We then estimated the residual stress (about 200 MPa) using an interferometry measurement.
Neutron diffraction and thermoelectric properties of indium filled InxCo4Sb12 (x = 0.05, 0.2) and indium cerium filled Ce0.05In0.1Co4Sb12 skutterudites
Authors: Sesselmann Andreas , Klobes Benedikt , Dasgupta Titas , Gourdon Olivier , Hermann Raphael , Mueller Eckhard
Published: October 2015

The thermoelectric properties on polycrystalline single (In) and double filled (Ce, In) skutterudites are characterized between 300 and 700 K. Powder neutron diffraction measurements of the skutterudite compositions InxCo4Sb12 (x = 0.05, 0.2) and Ce0.05In0.1Co4Sb12 as a function of temperature (12–300 K) were carried out, which gives more insight into the structural data of single and double‐filled skutterudites. Results show that due to the annealing treatment, a Sb deficiency is detectable and thus verifies defects at the Sb lattice site of the skutterudite. Furthermore, we show by electron microprobe analysis that a considerable amount of indium is lost during synthesis and post‐processing for the single indium filled samples, but not for the double cerium and indium skutterudite sample. In our experiments, the double‐filled skutterudite is superior to the single‐filled skutterudite composition due to a higher charge carrier density, a comparable lattice thermal resistivity, and a higher density of states effective mass. Furthermore, we obtained a significantly higher Einstein temperature for the double‐filled skutterudite composition in comparison to the single‐filled species, which reflects the high sensitivity due to filling of the void lattice position within the skutterudite crystal.
An algorithm for identifying the initiation of synoptic‐scale Rossby waves on potential vorticity waveguides
Authors: Röthlisberger Matthias , Martius Olivia , Wernli Heini
Published: October 2015

In this study, a novel method is presented that automatically identifies the initiation of synoptic‐scale Rossby waves (RWIs) on potential vorticity (PV) waveguides. RWIs are identified based on geometry changes of the 2 PVU (where PVU is Potential Vorticity Units) contour on two isentropic levels (320 and 340 K). The 2 PVU contours are hereby regarded as proxies for the position and shape of the extratropical and subtropical waveguide, respectively. A RWI is recorded in a zonally aligned (i.e. wave‐free) longitudinal contour segment if it becomes wavy over time and, additionally, the respective 2 PVU contour is wave‐free upstream of the segment. To illustrate the potential of the method, three example RWIs are presented, which reveal distinct initiation mechanisms. In the first RWI, a large convective system triggers a Rossby wave on the extratropical waveguide. In the second case, the two waveguides are vertically co‐aligned and a mesoscale lower‐stratospheric high‐PV anomaly leads to the initiation of a Rossby wave on both waveguides. The third case illustrates the interaction between the two waveguides. A breaking wave on the extratropical waveguide steers a lower‐stratospheric high‐PV anomaly into close proximity with the undisturbed subtropical waveguide and induces a wave on the latter. The method is applied to ERA‐Interim data from 1979–2014, in order to produce a feature‐based climatology of RWIs on the two waveguides in the Northern Hemisphere during winter. The three main regions where RWIs occur are the Northwestern Pacific, North America and the North Atlantic, as well as North Africa and the Middle East.
A novel privacy‐preserving scheme for collaborative frequent itemset mining across vertically partitioned data
Authors: Nanavati Nirali R. , Jinwala Devesh C.
Published: October 2015

Privacy preservation while undertaking collaborative data mining is a significant research problem. The vertically partitioned data model is an important data partition model and has varied applications. The vertically partitioned data model necessitates a non‐collusive scheme and an efficient scheme for the problem of privacy‐preserving distributed frequent itemset mining (PPDFIM). The current literature has schemes based on secure sum, set intersection cardinality and secure binary dot product (SBDP) for PPDFIM across vertically partitioned data. [m,m] Shamir's additive secret sharing has been proposed as a non‐collusive scheme for PPDFIM in a vertically partitioned setup that uses the secure sum sub‐protocol. However, such a scheme leads to information leakage in the distributed frequent itemset mining scenario and defeats the purpose of privacy preservation. We give a critique on the non‐collusive secret sharing‐based approaches when used for privacy preservation in frequent itemset mining in a vertically partitioned model. Further, we propose Du‐Atallah's efficient multiplication protocol for SBDP of two vectors for PPDFIM. We also propose an extension of the non‐collusive Du‐Atallah's SBDP protocol for a vertically partitioned setup to mine frequent itemsets for a multi‐party multi‐vector scenario. We show how such a collusion‐resistant scheme does not lead to loss of privacy and give the theoretical and empirical analysis therein. Further, we show that our proposed scheme is more efficient than the seminal public key‐based scheme proposed by Vaidyaet al.in terms of the execution cost for a multi‐party scenario. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prediction of hemoglobin in blood donors using a latent class mixed‐effects transition model
Authors: Nasserinejad Kazem , Rosmalen Joost van , Kort Wim de , Rizopoulos Dimitris , Lesaffre Emmanuel
Published: October 2015

Blood donors experience a temporary reduction in their hemoglobin (Hb) value after donation. At each visit, the Hb value is measured, and a too low Hb value leads to a deferral for donation. Because of the recovery process after each donation as well as state dependence and unobserved heterogeneity, longitudinal data of Hb values of blood donors provide unique statistical challenges. To estimate the shape and duration of the recovery process and to predict future Hb values, we employed three models for the Hb value: (i) a mixed‐effects models; (ii) a latent‐class mixed‐effects model; and (iii) a latent‐class mixed‐effects transition model. In each model, a flexible function was used to model the recovery process after donation. The latent classes identify groups of donors with fast or slow recovery times and donors whose recovery time increases with the number of donations. The transition effect accounts for possible state dependence in the observed data. All models were estimated in a Bayesian way, using data of new entrant donors from the Donor InSight study. Informative priors were used for parameters of the recovery process that were not identified using the observed data, based on results from the clinical literature. The results show that the latent‐class mixed‐effects transition model fits the data best, which illustrates the importance of modeling state dependence, unobserved heterogeneity, and the recovery process after donation. The estimated recovery time is much longer than the current minimum interval between donations, suggesting that an increase of this interval may be warranted. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition
Authors: Cook Vivian
Published: October 2015

This book covers approaches to second language research that in some way conform to the agenda of linguistics. It presents the actual methodology and results of research rather than just the conclusions or interpretations. It covers the main current theories, research methods and techniques, and it considers the crucial problems involved in relating Second Language Acquisition to linguistics.
Emerging targets for combination therapy in melanomas
Authors: de Freitas Saito Renata , Tortelli Tharcísio Citrângulo , Jacomassi Mayara D'Auria , Otake Andréia Hanada , Chammas Roger
Published: October 2015

Cutaneous melanomas are often difficult to treat when diagnosed in advanced stages. Melanoma cells adapt to survive in extreme environmental conditions and are among the tumors with larger genomic instability. Here we discuss some intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of resistance of melanoma cells to both conventional and target therapies, such as autophagy, adaptation to endoplasmic reticulum stress, metabolic reprogramming, mechanisms of tumor repopulation and the role of extracellular vesicles in this later phenomenon. These biological processes are potentially targetable and thus provide a platform for research and discovery of new drugs for combination therapy to manage melanoma patient treatment.
Family Support Needs Following Acquired Brain Injury Across Metropolitan and Regional/Remote South Australia
Authors: Bellon Michelle , Crocker Ruth , Farnden Jennifer , Gardner Jaime , Sando Sandi , Peterson Chris
Published: October 2015

Aims:To identify and compare, family support needs following an acquired brain injury (ABI) in metropolitan and regional/remote areas in order to inform the development of a state-wide family peer support network.

Design:Mixed methods design including postal survey and focus groups.

Results:The survey was completed by 194 family members who provide support to an adult with ABI. Focus groups included 43 participants (29 family members, 14 people with ABI). Thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses and focus group transcripts revealed 15 areas of needed support. Although all themes were identified by both geographic groups, regional/remote participants commented more frequently on the need for coordinated, accessible and tailored services. A strong focus was placed on the need for counselling and emotional support, as well as family support groups from both major city and regional/remote participants. Each support was reviewed to identify those which could be augmented through peer-supports, including: emotional support; family support groups; ABI information; family social activities; help to navigate the system; early supports (within the first year of ABI); and self-advocacy training.

Conclusions:Results highlight a need for ongoing supports for the entire family following ABI in both metropolitan and regional/remote regions of SA (South Australia). Support themes can inform the development of family-centred services, including the role of peer-support networks.
Frequency–wavenumber mapping in turbulent shear flows
Authors: de Kat Roeland , Ganapathisubramani Bharathram
Published: October 2015

Spatial turbulence spectra for high-Reynolds-number shear flows are usually obtained by mapping experimental frequency spectra into wavenumber space using Taylor’s hypothesis, but this is known to be less than ideal. In this paper, we propose a cross-spectral approach that allows us to determine the entire wavenumber–frequency spectrum using two-point measurements. The method uses cross-spectral phase differences between two points – equivalent to wave velocities – to reconstruct the wavenumber–frequency plane, which can then be integrated to obtain the spatial spectrum. We verify the technique on a particle image velocimetry (PIV) data set of a turbulent boundary layer. To show the potential influence of the different mappings, the transfer functions that we obtained from our PIV data are applied to hot-wire data at approximately the same Reynolds number. Comparison of the newly proposed technique with the classic approach based on Taylor’s hypothesis shows that – as expected – Taylor’s hypothesis holds for larger wavenumbers (small spatial scales), but there are significant differences for smaller wavenumbers (large spatial scales). In the range of Reynolds number examined in this study, double-peaked spectra in the outer region of a turbulent wall flow are thought to be the result of using Taylor’s hypothesis. This is consistent with previous studies that focused on examining the limitations of Taylor’s hypothesis (del Álamo & Jiménez, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 640, 2009, pp. 5–26). The newly proposed mapping method provides a data-driven approach to map frequency spectra into wavenumber spectra from two-point measurements and will allow the experimental exploration of spatial spectra in high-Reynolds-number turbulent shear flows.
Combined effect ofLactobacillus acidophilusandβ-cyclodextrin on serum cholesterol in pigs
Authors: Alonso L. , Fontecha J. , Cuesta P.
Published: October 2015

A total of twenty-four Yorkshire gilt pigs of 6–7 weeks of age were used in a 2×2 factorial experiment to determine the individual and combined effects of the inclusion of two dietary factors (cholesterol rich, 3 %β-cyclodextrin (BCD) andLactobacillus acidophiluscultures) on total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in blood serum. Pigs were assigned randomly to treatment groups (n6). Total serum cholesterol concentrations decreased after 3 weeks in all the experimental treatment groups, including diets with BCD,L.acidophilusor both. Similar trends were observed for serum LDL-cholesterol concentrations among the experimental treatments. No statistically significant differences from the control group were observed in either total serum cholesterol or LDL-cholesterol concentrations (P<0·05) for each of the individual treatment groups: BCD orL.acidophilus. However, significant differences in total serum cholesterol concentrations were observed when comparing the combined treatment group (BCD andL.acidophilus) with the control group, which consisted of a basal diet and sterile milk. The combined treatment group exhibited 17·9 % lower total serum cholesterol concentration after 3 weeks. Similar significant differences were observed when comparing the combined effect experimental group with the control group after 3 weeks. The combined treatment group exhibited 27·9 % lower serum LDL-cholesterol concentrations.
Long-term effect of residue return and fertilization on microbial biomass and community composition of a clay loam soil
Authors: ZHANG B. , GAO Q. , XU S. , MA L. , TIAN C.
Published: October 2015

A field study was carried out to examine the response of microbial communities of a clay loam soil to long-term (30 years) effects of residue return and fertilization. The experimental design was a split-plot arrangement of treatments, consisting of three residue treatments (crop residues returned at rates of 0, 2500 and 5000 kg/ha) in combination with eight fertilization treatments (control, no fertilizer; N, mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer; P, mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizer; K, mineral potassium (K) fertilizer; NP, mineral NP fertilizer; NK, mineral NK fertilizer; PK, mineral PK fertilizer; and NPK, mineral NPK fertilizer). Soil microbial communities were characterized by phospholipid fatty acid analysis. Results indicated that the more crop residues were returned, the lower ratio of fungi to bacteria was observed. However, soil microbial biomass was only found to be significantly higher in plots with residues returned at a rate of 5000 kg/ha but not 2500 kg/ha. This suggested there was a threshold for microbial biomass to increase under residue return for the clay loam soil studied. The fertilization effect on soil microbial biomass gradually decreased with increases in the amount of crop residues returned. A significant composition change was observed under N fertilization. Structural equation modelling indicated that soil microbial communities were influenced directly by residue return and indirectly by residue-induced change in ratio of carbon to N and fertilization-induced change in soil pH.
Habitat preference and seasonal variability of epifaunal assemblages associated with macroalgal beds on the Central Red Sea coast, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Ba-Akdah M. A. , Satheesh S. , Al-Sofyani A. A.
Published: October 2015

Macroalgal communities of coastal ecosystems play a key role in maintaining overall coastal biodiversity. In this study, habitat preference (macroalgal host preference) and temporal changes (season) of epifaunal communities associated to five macroalgal species such as Padina, Sargassum, Ulva, Acanthophora and Gracilaria were observed at seasonal intervals (summer and winter) for 2 years from May 2012 to March 2014 on the Jeddah coastal waters of the Red Sea. Major epifaunal groups observed included polychaetes, amphipods, isopods, gastropods, mussels and crabs. Polychaetes were represented by 10 species followed by amphipods with five species. The abundance of gastropods, polychaetes and mussels showed significant variation between the macroalgae irrespective of morphology. Generally, the abundance of these taxa were high on Padina and low on Sargassum. Significant seasonal changes were observed on the abundance of polychaetes, amphipods and isopods. The abundance of some epifaunal groups showed a significant relationship with environmental parameters such as surface water temperature, salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen content.
The radical humility of Christ in the sixteenth century: Erasmus and Calvin on Philippians 2:6–7
Authors: Essary Kirk
Published: October 2015

The christological hymn in Philippians 2, rich as it is in theological potential, has always been a fruitful locus in the history of biblical interpretation for engaging in a number of doctrinal disputes which revolve around questions of the nature of Christ. Thus, an analysis of any chapter in the history of interpretation of the hymn (or at least parts of it) is necessary for understanding the ways in which Paul's text has informed christological discourse or, vice versa, how certain ways of thinking about Christology inform interpretations of the passage. In the sixteenth century, the hymn also serves as a jumping-off point for discussions of the authority of scripture in matters of doctrine, for whether Paul provides sufficient doctrinal fodder to ground an orthodox doctrine of the Trinity (particularly of the consubstantiality of the Father and the Son) will be brought into question, in particular, by Erasmus. Erasmus’ understanding of the passage, as it appears in hisAnnotations, was criticised by numerous Catholics, and the ensuing debate (especially between Erasmus and Lefèvre) is fairly well known. The response Erasmus (and the surrounding debate) elicits from John Calvin, however, has scarcely been mentioned and, to my knowledge, never been examined in depth – this, despite the fact that Calvin's engagement with Erasmus on Philippians 2:6–7 departs from his usual method ofperspicua brevitasin commentary writing, and constitutes a significant digression on an array of christological and hermeneutical issues. These two verses, and their reception in the sixteenth century, provide a useful lens for analysing the christologies and the hermeneutical strategies of two biblical humanists who, perhaps, are not often enough considered alongside one another. A close reading of these two exegetes’ interpretations of Philippians 2:6–7 will be followed by a consideration of the significance of their emphasis on the radical humility of Christ, which emphasis serves as a departure from the bulk of the antecedent exegetical and theological tradition.
‘“Fuisse in Forma Hominis” belongs to Christ Alone’: John Calvin's trinitarian hermeneutics in hisLectures on Ezekiel
Authors: Slotemaker John T.
Published: October 2015

The present article examines John Calvin's trinitarian and christological interpretation of Old Testament theophanies in hisPraelectioneson Ezekiel 1. The first section of the article treats Calvin's exegetical principles. It is noted that Calvin defends a strict set of rules for how to interpret Old Testament theophanies: in short, Calvin argues that if a passage presents the divine nature in the form of a human person, that given theophany must be interpreted as a representation of the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God (i.e. Jesus Christ). In defending this position, Calvin examines in great detail various rules for how to interpret Old Testament passages which indicate a plurality within the divine nature (i.e. the Trinity). He defends his exegetical approach to these texts with numerous passages from the New Testament.

This examination of Calvin's exegesis is contextualised in two ways. First, it is noted that Calvin's exegesis of these passages is uncharacteristically more ‘strict’ in its trinitarian and christological reading than one finds in earlier thinkers such as Augustine and Jerome. For example, Augustine argued that Old Testament theophanies which present God in the form of a human being could be understood as the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit. Augustine, in short, does not think one can definitively determine which member of the Trinity is ‘present’ in a theophany. Second, it is noted that this surprising development in Calvin's final work is the result of the rising threat of anti-trinitarianism in Transylvania. Thus, the article argues that the rise of Polish anti-trinitarianism not only contributed to Calvin's renewed interest in trinitarian and christological interpretations of the Old Testament, but it also pushed him to develop a more strict set of exegetical rules which govern how such passages are interpreted.

Therefore, the article presents a reading of Calvin which strongly suggests that any complete analysis of Calvin's alleged ‘Judaising’ must develop a historically nuanced methodology. While it is often argued that Calvin hesitates from interpreting Old Testament passages in a strictly trinitarian or christological way, it must be acknowledged that towards the end of his career he radically began to alter his exegetical rules/method given the renewed threat of the anti-trinitarians.
Consideramus in speculo – fragments of a Hegelian mirror in dialectical theology
Authors: Baark Sigurd
Published: October 2015

The article re-examines Karl Barth's claim that his 1931 book on Anselm of Canterbury's proof of the existence of God from Proslogion 2–4, the Fides Quaerens Intellectum, provides a ‘vital key’ for understanding the rationality of his later theology. The article takes up the question of what ‘dialectics’ denotes in Barth's theology. Re-engaging the issue of dialectics in Karl Barth's theology, particularly in light of the developments of his thought, leads to a critical revision of Bruce McCormack's influential interpretation of Barth's dialectical theology.

Through a close reading of the section, ‘The manner of theology’, from the first of the two parts of Fides Quaerens Intellectum the article sheds light on how Barth envisions the construction of the theoretical concepts of theology in light of his concrete exegetical praxis. By focusing on the relationship between theory and praxis, an understanding of Barth's dialectical theology as a form of ‘speculative reading’ emerges. This notion of dialectics as developing in light of a practice of speculative reading allows us to compare certain aspects of concept-formation in the theology of Karl Barth and the dialectical philosophy of the German Idealist, G. W. F. Hegel. Drawing explicitly on Hegel's analysis of infinite judgement from the second volume of his 1812 Science of Logic, Barth's use of the tautology ‘God is God’ in his second commentary on Romans from 1922 is shown to provide important insight into the structure of Barth's dialectical thinking. This explicitly relates to the important issue of the relationship between faith and reason in Karl Barth's theology, which sheds a new light on how his understanding of the rational basis of the theory and praxis of theology developed from his second Romans commentary onwards.

Finally, Barth's use of dialectics and his account of the rationality of theology as a form of ‘speculative reading’ permits some final reflections on the significance of pneumatology for constructive theology by underscoring how Barth insists on the priority of praxis over theory. To understand Barth's theology and the way it changes over the years is to understand the rationality of its concrete praxis.
Jesus Christ, election and nature: revising Barth during the ecological crisis
Authors: Langdon Adrian
Published: October 2015

Theologians seeking to respond to the ecological crisis seldom turn to the theology of Karl Barth as a resource. In fact, some suggest that his doctrine of God is too monarchical and leads to unnecessary hierarchies between God and humans, or between humans and the rest of nature. This article counters this trend and begins a dialogue with Barth, especially on the place of non-human nature in his thought. While agreeing with the substance of Barth's theology, it is argued a number of critical additions and revisions are appropriate, especially concerning his doctrine of election. The article first briefly outlines Barth's doctrine of election and then, second, examines various New Testament passages on election and non-human nature. This second section will examine the prologue of John's Gospel, Colossians 1:15–20 and Romans 8:18–23. As key texts in Barth's exposition, it will be noted how he passes over important connections between election and nature found in them. Guided by the green exegesis of Richard Bauckham, it will be argued that nature is not merely the stage for the drama between God and humanity but that it is also an object of God's election and thereby participates in reconciliation and redemption. The third part of the article suggests various points of commensurability, correction and addition to Barth's theology arising from the biblical material examined. This includes points concerning theological epistemology, the atonement, anthropology and the theology of nature. For example, Romans 8 suggests that creation groans in anticipation of redemption. Barth's view of the cross, especially the Son's taking up of human suffering, is extended to suggest that the cross is God's way of identifying with the suffering of nature and its anticipation of redemption, and not just human sin and salvation. The most important revision, however, is to be made to Barth's doctrine of election. It may be summarised as follows: in Jesus Christ, God elects the Christian community and individuals for salvationwithin the community of creation. The article concludes by suggesting areas of dialogue with other types of ecotheology, especially ecofeminist forms.
Quantifying the referential function of general extenders in North American English
Authors: Wagner Suzanne Evans , Hesson Ashley , Bybel Kali , Little Heidi
Published: October 2015

Discourse markers (like, I don't know, etc.) are known to vary in frequency across English dialects and speech settings. It is difficult to make meaningful generalizations over these differences, since quantitative discourse-pragmatic variation studies ‘lack [a] coherent set of methodological principles’ (Pichler 2010:582). This has often constrained quantitative studies to focus on the form, rather than the function of discourse-pragmatic features. The current article employs a novel method for rigorously identifying and quantifying the referential function (set-extension) of general extenders (GEs), for example,and stuff like that, or whatever. We apply this method to GEs extracted from three corpora of contemporary North American English speech. The results demonstrate that, across varieties, (i) referential GEs occur at a comparable proportional rate in vernacular speech, and (ii) referential GEs are longer than nonreferential GEs. Collectively, these findings represent a step towards comparative quantitative studies of GEs' functions in discourse. (Discourse-pragmatic variation, general extenders, methodological approaches, American English, Canadian English)
Modelling the thickness of landfast sea ice in Prydz Bay, East Antarctica
Authors: Yang Yu , Zhijun Li , Leppäranta Matti , Cheng Bin , Shi Liqiong , Lei Ruibo
Published: October 2015

Landfast sea ice forms and remains fixed along the coast for most of its life time. In Prydz Bay, landfast ice is seasonal due to melting, mechanical breakage and drift of ice in summer. Its annual cycle of thickness and temperature was examined using a one-dimensional thermodynamic model. Model calibration was made for March 2006 to March 2007 with forcing based on the Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition data, which consisted of in situ ice and snow observations and meteorological records at the Zhongshan Station. The observed maximum annual ice thickness was 1.74 m. The ice broke and drifted out in summer when its thickness was 0.5–1.0 m. Oceanic heat flux was estimated by tuning the model with observed ice thickness. In the growth season, it decreased from 25 W m-2 to 5 W m-2, and in summer it recovered back to 25 W m-2. Albedo was important in summer; by model tuning the estimated value was 0.6, consistent with the ice surface being bare all summer. Snow cover was thin, having a minor role. The results can be used to further our understanding of the importance of landfast ice in Antarctica for climate research and high-resolution ice–ocean modelling.
Examining the Presence of Symmetry within Acheulean Handaxes: A Case Study in the British Palaeolithic
Authors: Cole James
Published: October 2015

This paper examines the relationship between the presence of symmetry and the Acheulean biface within a predominantly British Lower Palaeolithic context. There has been a long-standing notion within Palaeolithic studies that Acheulean handaxes are symmetrical and become increasingly so as time progress as a reflection of increasing hominin cognitive and behavioural complexity. Specifically, the presence of symmetry within Acheulean handaxes is often seen as one of the first examples of material culture being used to mediate social relationships. However, this notion has never been satisfactorily tested against a large data set. This paper seeks to address the issue by conducting an analysis of some 2680 bifaces across a chronological and geographical span. The results from the sample presented here are that symmetrical bifaces do not appear to have a particularly strong presence in any assemblage and do not appear to increase as time progress. These results have significant implications for modern researchers assessing the cognitive and behavioural complexities of Acheulean hominins.
Beads, Exchange Networks and Emerging Complexity: A Case Study from Cambodia and Thailand (500 bce–ce 500)
Authors: Carter Alison Kyra
Published: October 2015

Control over the exchange of prestige goods is an important component of emerging socio-political complexity in many ancient societies. During the Iron Age period (500 bce–ce 500), communities in mainland Southeast Asia were undergoing rapid socio-political changes, due in part to new interactions with societies from South Asia. As objects made from exotic raw materials and using complex technologies, stone and glass beads are one type of prestige object from South Asia that were exchanged widely across Southeast Asia. This study examines beads from 12 sites in Cambodia and Thailand. Morphological and compositional analyses using LA-ICP-MS resulted in the identification of different bead types that were circulated in distinct exchange networks. Initially, beads were exchanged within a pre-existing South China Sea network. However, as trade with South Asia intensified in the late Iron Age, exchange networks in Southeast Asia expanded, with an increase in the quantities of beads circulated. These results show the utility of studying beads as a means of examining trade and emerging socio-political complexity. Lastly, in considering evidence for control over the exchange of beads, I propose looking to an emerging state in the Mekong Delta.
Teaching and Learning Subsistence Skills: Did Premodern Hominins Use Language to Do It?
Authors: Botha Rudolf
Published: October 2015

Two recent studies—the first by MacDonald & Roebroeks (2013), the second by Tallerman (2013)—draw inferences about the social use of language by premodern hominins from data about the linguistic behaviour of modern hunter-gatherers and other modern people with traditional cultures. Such inferences cannot be sound, though, unless they meet a particular requirement: they need appropriate warrants. These have to serve as conceptual bridges that span the ontological gap between the behaviours and capacities of modern humans and those of the premodern hominins concerned. Interestingly, both MacDonald & Roebroeks and Tallerman make a serious attempt to support their respective inferences with the aid of such conceptual bridges. The present article inquires whether these bridges are strong enough to serve this purpose, and argues that both bridges have components that are harmful to their solidity. In the process of arguing this, the article pursues the question of the conditions under which uniformitarian assumptions can be used as components of the substructure of the conceptual bridges needed for underpinning inferences about the use of language in the teaching and learning of subsistence skills by premodern hominins. More generally, the article elucidates an important limitation of the ethnographic record as a putative window on the evolution of language.
Learning to See and Seeing to Learn: Children, Communities of Practice and Pleistocene Visual Cultures
Authors: Nowell April
Published: October 2015

During the Late Pleistocene, children in southwest France and northern Spain grew up engaging with the world around them through the lenses of locally and historically situated pictorial cultures. This particular period and region is not the site of the earliest example of symbolic behaviour, nor is it the only example of the production of imagery during the Pleistocene but the rich record of Franco-Cantabrian visual material culture provides a unique opportunity to explore how children learned to decode and transform the world around them through imagery. In this paper, focusing on parietal art, I consider the biological, cognitive and social underpinnings of the uniquely human ability to move between two and three dimensional worlds and to perceive a fourth dimension—time—through the perception of motion from still images. These abilities, which can be traced through the archaeological record, allowed children and the adults they became new ways of imagining and acting in the world.
From Monuments to Miniatures: Emergence of Stamps and Related Image-bearing Objects during the Neolithic
Authors: Atakuman Çiğdem
Published: October 2015

In southwest Asia, the emphasis on architecture and burial ritual, which was instrumental in the construction of place-bound identities during the Early Neolithic (c. 10,000–7000 cal. bc), shifted toward an emphasis on miniature portable objects, such as figurines, stamps and ceramics, during the Later Neolithic (c. 7000–5000 cal. bc). Through a focus on stamps, this article argues that the appearance and proliferation of image-bearing portable objects is related to a new understanding of identities around emergent concepts of ‘house’ and ‘community’, which reordered the terms of social affiliation as well as difference and hierarchy at various scales. In terms of an iconographical approach, stamp imagery shows some affinities with the anthropomorphic and zoomorphic themes of the Early Neolithic; however, the majority of the Later Neolithic stamp imagery is composed of highly abstract types that cannot immediately be associated with the themes of the Early Neolithic. A close examination would indicate that these abstract types were also reproduced by manipulating ancestral imagery. It would also appear that certain types of images were employed on certain types of objects, such as ceramics and figurines, in increasingly structured ways. Arguably, these seemingly different object classes are an outcome of a seamless historical discourse of raw materials, images and forms, continuously shifting the conceptualization of self and society. It is in this context that stamps may be treated as figurines of a highly abstract, highly crafted and highly standardized nature. While the clay figurines appropriated social identities in the domestic sphere, stamps and ceramics were instrumental in linking multiple scales of identity formation, from personal to communal. Reconsidering the material shift from the Early to Late Neolithic, I suggest that the spreading regulation of appropriating body and food was central in the construction of a convergent politics of reproduction around the concepts of ‘house’.
Digital Chorographies: conceptualising experiential representation and marketing of urban/architectural geographies
Authors: Koeck Richard , Warnaby Gary
Published: October 2015

An important theme in place marketing, branding, and architectural literature – and practice – is the development of a strong, attractive image, through (primarily) visual representation of a location. But considering that today we live in cities that are digital hybrids, in which we are connected to a wider system of information, how is an ‘image of the city’ constructed in this context, and are there other strategies and tactics that should be considered? Using Plato’s notion of chora and Claudius Ptolemy’s notion of chorography as points of departure that will lead us to consider Michel de Certeau’s concept of walking as an experiential and dialectic process through which we relate the spatial stories of places and moreover, in the context of digital locative media, we will point to ways by which this may be accomplished. In introducing the reader to the concept of digital chorographies as a means by which a place’s spatial narratives may be constructed, we suggest that a current emphasis on visual representation (for example, of attractive place product elements/attributes, such as architectural landmarks and cityscapes, etc.) should be considered in conjunction with the articulation and narration of qualities contributing to a place’s realm of meaning.
Architectural students’ year-out training experience in architectural offices in the UK
Authors: Gao Yun , Orr Kevin
Published: October 2015

This paper investigates architectural students’ ‘year-out’ learning experiences in architectural offices after completing RIBA Part I study within a UK university. By interviewing and analysing their reflections on the experience, the study examines how individual architecture students perceive and value their learning experience in architectural offices and how students understand and integrate what they have learned through two distinct elements of their training: in university and in offices.

The architectural offices that students worked with vary in terms of workforce size and projects undertaken. The students’ training experience is not unified. The processes of engaging with concrete situations in real projects may permit students to follow opportunities that most inspire them and to develop their differing expertise, but their development in offices can also be restricted by the vicissitudes of market economics.

This study has demonstrated that architectural students’ learning and development in architectural offices continued through ‘learning by doing’ and used drawings as primary design and communicative media. Working in offices gave weight to both explicit and tacit knowledge and used subjective judgments. A further understanding was also achieved about what architects are and what they do in practice. The realities of their architectural practice experience discouraged some Part I students from progressing into the next stage of architectural education, Part II, but for others it demonstrated that a career in architecture was ‘achievable’.

This study argues that creative design, practical and technical abilities are not separate skill-sets that are developed in the university and in architectural offices respectively. They are linked and united in the learning process required to become a professional architect. The study also suggests that education in the university should do more to prepare students for their training in practice.
Child-care nutrition environments: results from a survey of policy and practice in New Zealand early childhood education services
Authors: Gerritsen Sarah , Wall Clare , Morton Susan
Published: October 2015

Objective:

To describe nutrition environments in formal child care for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Design:

Cross-sectional online survey of nutrition-related child-care policy and practice. Written nutrition policies were analysed using the Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool.

Setting:

Licensed child-care services in the Auckland, Counties Manukau and Waikato regions of New Zealand.

Subjects:

Eight hundred and forty-seven services (private and community day care, kindergartens and playcentres).

Results:

Managers/head teachers of 257 child-care services completed the survey. Of services, 82·4 % had a written food, nutrition or wellness policy. Most policies did not refer to the national Food and Nutrition Guidelines and lacked directives for staff regarding recommended behaviours to promote healthy eating. Food was provided daily to children in 56·4 % of child-care services, including 33·5 % that provided lunch and at least two other meals/snacks every day. Teachers talked to children about food, and cooked with children, at least weekly in 60 % of child-care services. Nearly all services had an edible garden (89·5 %). Foods/beverages were sold for fundraising in the past 12 months by 37·2 % of services. The most commonly reported barrier to promoting nutrition was a lack of support from families (20·6 %).

Conclusions:

Although the majority of child-care services had a written nutrition policy, these were not comprehensive and contained weak statements that could be difficult to action. Foods served at celebrations and for fundraising were largely high in sugar, salt and/or saturated fat. Most services promoted some healthy eating behaviours but other widespread practices encouraged children to overeat or form unhealthy food preferences.
GEORG JELLINEK ON VALUES AND OBJECTIVITY IN THE LEGAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCES
Authors: SPADAFORA ANDREW
Published: October 2015

Georg Jellinek was one of the legal theorists who brought a new level of methodological sophistication to German public law scholarship at the turn of the twentieth century. Where previous research has called attention to his theory of conceptual “types” and his application of contemporary neo-Kantian epistemology to the law, this article explores his thinking on the nature of values and value judgments, and the possibilities for objectivity in the legal and political sciences. Jellinek sought to open an increasingly calcified legal positivism to the findings of the social sciences and to an inherently pluralistic, changing world of subjective values, but without abandoning the positivist ideals of legal certainty and the exclusion of political and other value judgments. Analyzing his response to this challenge opens a window onto his broader work in public law and political science, illuminating doctrines like the “two-sided” theory of the state and the “normative power of the factual,” which have achieved a lasting place in German legal and political theory. It also shows why Jellinek put aside the traditional ideal of bias-free objectivity for a surprisingly modern vision of a process of intersubjective agreement, driven by the institutions of free and open scholarly debate.
Prevalence and correlates of QTc prolongation in Italian psychiatric care: cross-sectional multicentre study
Authors: Nosè M. , Bighelli I. , Castellazzi M. , Martinotti G. , Carrà G. , Lucii C. , Ostuzzi G. , Sozzi F. , Barbui C. ,   the STAR NETWORK GROUP
Published: October 2015

Aims.

In recent years several warnings have been issued by regulatory authorities on the risk of electrocardiogram abnormalities in individuals exposed to psychotropic drugs. As a consequence of these warnings, monitoring of the QT interval corrected for heart rate (QTc) has become increasingly common. This study was conducted to measure the frequency of QTc prolongation in unselected psychiatric patients, and to document the associated factors using a cross-sectional approach.

Method.

The study was carried out in 35 Italian psychiatric services that are part of the STAR (Servizi Territoriali Associati per la Ricerca) Network, a research group established to produce scientific knowledge by collecting data under ordinary circumstances. During a three-month period, a consecutive unselected series of both in- and out-patients were enrolled if they performed an ECG during the recruitment period and were receiving psychotropic drugs on the day ECG was recorded.

Results.

During the recruitment period a total of 2411 patients were included in the study. The prevalence of QTc prolongation ranged from 14.7% (men) and 18.6% (women) for the cut-off of 450 ms, to 1.26% (men) and 1.01% (women) for the cut-off of 500 ms. In the multivariate model conducted in the whole sample of patients exposed to psychotropic drugs, female sex, age, heart rate, alcohol and/or substance abuse, cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular drug treatment, and drug overdose were significantly associated with QTc prolongation. In patients exposed to antipsychotic drugs, polypharmacy was positively associated with QTc prolongation, whereas use of aripiprazole decreased the risk. In patients exposed to antidepressant drugs, use of citalopram, citalopram dose and use of haloperidol in addition to antidepressant drugs, were all positively associated with QTc prolongation.

Conclusions.

The confirmation of a link between antipsychotic polypharmacy and QTc prolongation supports the current guidelines that recommend avoiding the concurrent use of two or more antipsychotic drugs, and the confirmation of a link between citalopram and QTc prolongation supports the need for routine QTc monitoring. The relatively low proportion of patients with QTc prolongation not only suggests compliance with current safety warnings issued by regulatory authorities, but also casts some doubts on the clinical relevance of QTc prolongation related to some psychotropic drugs.
Ocean Lightning Storms Are Larger Than Land Lightning Storms
Authors: Strelich Lily
Published: October 2015

A new study uses data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission to demonstrate that electrified storms in the tropics are 10 times larger over the ocean than those over land.