bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neural Interaction between Logical Reasoning and Pragmatic Processing in Narrative Discourse
Authors: Prado Jérôme , Spotorno Nicola , Koun Eric , Hewitt Emily , Van der Henst Jean-Baptiste , Sperber Dan , Noveck Ira A.
Published: October 2014

Logical connectives (e.g., or, if, and not) are central to everyday conversation, and the inferences they generate are made with little effort in pragmatically sound situations. In contrast, the neural substrates of logical inference-making have been studied exclusively in abstract tasks where pragmatic concerns are minimal. Here, we used fMRI in an innovative design that employed narratives to investigate the interaction between logical reasoning and pragmatic processing in natural discourse. Each narrative contained three premises followed by a statement. In Fully-deductive stories, the statement confirmed a conclusion that followed from two steps of disjunction–elimination (e.g., Xavier considers Thursday, Friday, or Saturday for inviting his girlfriend out; he removes Thursday before he rejects Saturday and declares “I will invite her out for Friday”). In Implicated-premise stories, an otherwise identical narrative included three premises that twice removed a single option from consideration (i.e., Xavier rejects Thursday for two different reasons). The conclusion therefore necessarily prompts an implication (i.e., Xavier must have removed Saturday from consideration as well). We report two main findings. First, conclusions of Implicated-premise stories are associated with more activity than conclusions of Fully-deductive stories in a bilateral frontoparietal system, suggesting that these regions play a role in inferring an implicated premise. Second, brain connectivity between these regions increases with pragmatic abilities when reading conclusions in Implicated-premise stories. These findings suggest that pragmatic processing interacts with logical inference-making when understanding arguments in narrative discourse.
Past Makes Future: Role of pFC in Prediction
Authors: Fuster Joaquín M. , Bressler Steven L.
Published: October 2014

The pFC enables the essential human capacities for predicting future events and preadapting to them. These capacities rest on both the structure and dynamics of the human pFC. Structurally, pFC, together with posterior association cortex, is at the highest hierarchical level of cortical organization, harboring neural networks that represent complex goal-directed actions. Dynamically, pFC is at the highest level of the perception–action cycle, the circular processing loop through the cortex that interfaces the organism with the environment in the pursuit of goals. In its predictive and preadaptive roles, pFC supports cognitive functions that are critical for the temporal organization of future behavior, including planning, attentional set, working memory, decision-making, and error monitoring. These functions have a common future perspective and are dynamically intertwined in goal-directed action. They all utilize the same neural infrastructure: a vast array of widely distributed, overlapping, and interactive cortical networks of personal memory and semantic knowledge, named cognits, which are formed by synaptic reinforcement in learning and memory acquisition. From this cortex-wide reservoir of memory and knowledge, pFC generates purposeful, goal-directed actions that are preadapted to predicted future events.
Activation of New Attentional Templates for Real-world Objects in Visual Search
Authors: Nako Rebecca , Smith Tim J. , Eimer Martin
Published: October 2014

Visual search is controlled by representations of target objects (attentional templates). Such templates are often activated in response to verbal descriptions of search targets, but it is unclear whether search can be guided effectively by such verbal cues. We measured ERPs to track the activation of attentional templates for new target objects defined by word cues. On each trial run, a word cue was followed by three search displays that contained the cued target object among three distractors. Targets were detected more slowly in the first display of each trial run, and the N2pc component (an ERP marker of attentional target selection) was attenuated and delayed for the first relative to the two successive presentations of a particular target object, demonstrating limitations in the ability of word cues to activate effective attentional templates. N2pc components to target objects in the first display were strongly affected by differences in object imageability (i.e., the ability of word cues to activate a target-matching visual representation). These differences were no longer present for the second presentation of the same target objects, indicating that a single perceptual encounter is sufficient to activate a precise attentional template. Our results demonstrate the superiority of visual over verbal target specifications in the control of visual search, highlight the fact that verbal descriptions are more effective for some objects than others, and suggest that the attentional templates that guide search for particular real-world target objects are analog visual representations.
Was Arminius an (Unwitting) Determinist? Another Look at Arminius’s Modal Logic
Authors: McCall Thomas H.
Published: October 2014

Eef Dekker argues, on the basis of a letter from Jacob Arminius to Johannes Uytenbogaert in 1598, that Arminius’s modal logic commits him to determinism. In this essay, I revisit Arminius’s modal logic. I grant that Dekker may be correct in his analysis of this letter and its contents, but I argue that Arminius’s musings in this letter are not representative of his mature thought. I argue that Arminius significantly alters his views, and that with a bit of further correction Arminius’s position can avoid determinism.
The first well-preserved coelophysoid theropod dinosaur from Asia
Authors: YOU HAI-LU , AZUMA YOICHI , WANG TAO , WANG YA-MING , DONG ZHI-MING
Published: October 2014

Coelophysoid dinosaurs represent the earliest major radiation of neotheropods. These small-to-medium-sized agile bipeds lived throughout much of Pangaea during the Late Triassic–arly Jurassic. Previously reported coelophysoid material from Asia (excluding the Gondwanan territory of India) is limited to two specimens that comprise only limb fragments. This paper describes a new genus and species of coelophysoid, Panguraptor lufengensis, from the Lower Jurassic Lufeng Formation of Yunnan Province, China. The new taxon is represented by a well-preserved skeleton, including the skull and lower jaw, the presacral vertebral column and partial ribs, the right scapula, a partial forelimb, part of the pelvic girdle, and an almost complete hind limb. It is distinguished from other coelophysoid theropods by the unique combination of the following three character states: 1) diagonal (rostrodorsal-caudoventral) ridge on lateral surface of maxilla, within antorbital fossa, 2) elliptical, laterally facing fenestra caudodorsal to aforementioned diagonal ridge, and 3) hooked craniomedial corner of distal tarsal IV. Cladistic analysis recovers Panguraptor lufengensis deeply nested within Coelophysoidea as a member of Coelophysidae, and it is more closely related to Coelophysis than to “Syntarsus”. Panguraptor represents the first well-preserved coelophysoid theropod dinosaur from Asia, and provides fresh evidence supporting the hypothesis that terrestrial tetrapods tended to be distributed pan-continentally during the Early Jurassic.
Temperature Inversion Breakup with Impacts on Air Quality in Urban Valleys Influenced by Topographic Shading
Authors: Rendón Angela M. , Salazar Juan F. , Palacio Carlos A. , Wirth Volkmar
Published: October 2014

Urban valleys can experience serious air pollution problems as a combined result of their limited ventilation and the high emission of pollutants from the urban areas. Idealized simulations were analyzed to elucidate the breakup of an inversion layer in urban valleys subject to a strong low-level temperature inversion and topographic effects on surface heating such as topographic shading, as well as the associated air pollution transport mechanisms. The results indicate that the presence and evolution in time of the inversion layer and its interplay with an urban heat island within the valley strongly influence the venting of pollutants out of urban valleys. Three mechanisms of air pollution transport were identified. These are transport by upslope winds, transport by an urban heat island–induced circulation, and transport within a closed slope-flow circulation below an inversion layer.
Spiral Rainbands in a Numerical Simulation of Hurricane Bill (2009). Part II: Propagation of Inner Rainbands
Authors: Moon Yumin , Nolan David S.
Published: October 2014

This is the second part of a study that examines spiral rainbands in a numerical simulation of Hurricane Bill (2009). This paper evaluates whether the propagation of inner rainbands in the Hurricane Bill simulation is consistent with previously proposed hypotheses. Results indicate that the propagation of inner rainbands is not consistent with gravity waves, vortex Rossby waves, or squall lines. An alternative hypothesis is offered, arguing that inner rainbands are simply convective clouds that are advected by the rapidly rotating tropical cyclone wind field while being deformed into spiral shapes. A summary and a discussion of the results of both Parts I and II are provided.
A Return Stroke NOx Production Model
Authors: Koshak William J. , Solakiewicz Richard J. , Peterson Harold S.
Published: October 2014

A model is introduced for estimating the nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) production from a lightning return stroke channel. A realistic modified transmission line model return stroke current is assumed to propagate vertically upward along a stepped leader channel of 0.1-cm radius. With additional assumptions about the initial radial expansion rate of the channel, the full nonlinear differential equation for the return stroke channel radius r(z, t) is solved numerically using Mathematica V9.0.1.0. Channel conductivity and channel air density are adjustable constants, and the model employs typical atmospheric profiles of temperature, pressure, and density. The channel pressure is modeled by a dynamic pressure expression. Channel temperature is extracted from the pressure by a minimization technique that involves a generalized gas law appropriate for high temperatures where dissociation and ionization are important. The altitude and time variations of the channel energy density are also obtained. Three model runs, each with different input parameters, are completed. Channel radii at sea level range from about 1.7 to 6.0 cm depending on the model inputs and are in good agreement with other investigators. The NOx production from each 1-m segment of the channel is computed using conservation of energy and equilibrium freeze-out-temperature chemistry. Because the NOx per meter of channel is computed as a function of altitude, extensions of the results to tortuous and branched channels are possible and lead to preliminary estimates of total return stroke NOx. These estimates are found to be smaller than the return stroke NOx values obtained from the NASA Lightning Nitrogen Oxides Model (LNOM).
Implications of the Semigeostrophic Nature of Rossby Waves for Rossby Wave Packet Detection
Authors: Wolf Gabriel , Wirth Volkmar
Published: October 2014

Upper-tropospheric Rossby wave packets have received increased attention recently. In most previous studies wave packets have been detected by computing the envelope of the meridional wind field using either complex demodulation or a Hilbert transform. The latter requires fewer choices to be made and appears, therefore, preferable. However, the Hilbert transform is fraught with a significant problem, namely, a tendency that fragments a single wave packet into several parts. The problem arises because Rossby wave packets show substantial deviations from the almost-plane wave paradigm, a feature that is well represented by semigeostrophic dynamics. As a consequence, higher harmonics interfere with the reconstruction of the wave envelope leading to undesirable wiggles. A possible cure lies in additional smoothing (e.g., by means of a filter) or resorting to complex demodulation (which implies smoothing, too). Another possibility, which does not imply any smoothing, lies in applying the Hilbert transform in semigeostrophic coordinate space. It turns out beneficial to exclude planetary-scale wavenumbers from this transformation in order to avoid problems in cases when the wave packet travels on a low wavenumber quasi-stationary background flow.
Analysis of the 1 December 2011 Wasatch Downslope Windstorm
Authors: Lawson John , Horel John
Published: October 2014

A downslope windstorm on 1 December 2011 led to considerable damage along a narrow 50-km swath at the western base of the Wasatch Mountains in northern Utah. The strongest surface winds began suddenly at 0900 UTC, primarily in the southern portion of the damage zone. Surface winds reached their peak intensity with gusts to 45 m s−1 at ~1600 UTC, while the strongest winds shifted later to the northern end of the damage swath. The northward shift in strong surface winds relates to the rotation of synoptic-scale flow from northeasterly to easterly at crest level, controlled by an evolving anticyclonic Rossby wave breaking event. A rawinsonde released at ~1100 UTC in the midst of strong (>35 m s−1) easterly surface wind intersected a rotor and sampled the strong inversion that surmounted it. The windstorm’s evolution was further examined via Weather Research and Forecasting Model simulations initialized from North American Mesoscale Model analyses ~54 h before the windstorm onset. The Control model simulation captured core features of the event, including the spatial extent and timing of the strongest surface winds. However, the model developed stronger mountain-wave breaking in the lee of the Wasatch, a broader zone of strong surface winds, and a downstream rotor located farther west than observed. A second simulation, in which the nearby east–west-oriented Uinta Mountains were reduced in elevation, developed weaker easterly flow across the Wasatch during the early stages of the event. This result suggests that the Uinta Mountains block and steer the initial northeasterly flow across the Wasatch.
Dynamic Impacts of Global Value Chains Participation on Asian Developing Economies
Authors: Taguchi Hiroyuki
Published: October 2014

This article aims to investigate the dynamic economic impacts of global value chains (hereafter GVCs) participation by examining value-added-trade patterns focusing on Asian developing countries. Our main findings were as follows. First, an economy’s participation in GVCs in manufacturing sectors has allowed an absolute domestic value added for exports to contribute to GDP growth. Second, the development paths of domestic value added contribution to exports in a GVCs participating economy have followed ‘smile curve’ with the bottom being 5,651 US dollars in per capita GDP. Third, the turning points of smile curves differed according to manufacturing sectors: the sectors of machinery, electrical and transport equipment reach the turning point at higher per capita GDP than those of food, textile and wood products. These observations imply the dynamic process of GVCs impacts, where the initial stage of GVCs participation has reduced domestic value added contribution to exports, but it has been recovered at a later stage of GVCs involvement with upgrading domestic productive capacities. In particular, this recovery has taken a longer time for such high-value sectors as machinery, electrical and transport equipment.
Negotiating Exclusions in Developing Country FTAs
Authors: Saha Amrita
Published: October 2014

There exists a choice of negotiating the exclusions in tariff liberalization: negative or positive listing. The extent of coverage caters to all sectors/products minus an identified ‘sensitive list’ under the negative list approach is considered more liberalizing than positive listing with coverage across a specific number of sectors/products selected for preferential treatment. However, as there is no predetermined method of expansion of liberalization content during phase-in periods, it is necessary to compare both methods of negotiating exclusions, as each is perceived as a new policy for stakeholders having corresponding legal, administrative and economic implications.
Google Glass
Authors: Sawyer Ben D. , Finomore Victor S. , Calvo Andres A. , Hancock P. A.
Published: October 2014

Objective:

We assess the driving distraction potential of texting with Google Glass (Glass), a mobile wearable platform capable of receiving and sending short-message-service and other messaging formats.

Background:

A known roadway danger, texting while driving has been targeted by legislation and widely banned. Supporters of Glass claim the head-mounted wearable computer is designed to deliver information without concurrent distraction. Existing literature supports the supposition that design decisions incorporated in Glass might facilitate messaging for drivers.

Method:

We asked drivers in a simulator to drive and use either Glass or a smartphone-based messaging interface, then interrupted them with an emergency brake event. Both the response event and subsequent recovery were analyzed.

Results:

Glass-delivered messages served to moderate but did not eliminate distracting cognitive demands. A potential passive cost to drivers merely wearing Glass was also observed. Messaging using either device impaired driving as compared to driving without multitasking.

Conclusion:

Glass in not a panacea as some supporters claim, but it does point the way to design interventions that effect reduced load in multitasking.

Application:

Discussions of these identified benefits are framed within the potential of new in-vehicle systems that bring both novel forms of distraction and tools for mitigation into the driver’s seat.
The lion, the tiger and the kangaroo: A tale of transnational networks
Authors: Sharrad Paul
Published: October 2014

Commonwealth literary studies functioned for some time as comparative work across discrete national literary cultures. Using the curious instance of an Indian novelist finding publication with an Australian publisher, this article shows how similar and different colonial dynamics of literary production both kept national contexts meaningful and undid them through transnational connections.
Segregation, Polarization, and Ethnic Conflict
Authors: Klašnja Marko , Novta Natalija
Published: October 2014

An index of ethnic segregation conveys the extent of spatial mixing of ethnic groups, whereas an index of ethnic polarization and similar diversity measures show the overall balance between the groups. We present a game-theoretic model of conflict in which local success of one ethnic group encourages attacks by its co-ethnics in neighboring areas. Conditional on conflict breaking out, we find that for highly ethnically polarized societies, increasing ethnic segregation decreases the incidence and intensity of conflict. In contrast, in societies with low ethnic polarization, increasing segregation increases conflict. This is because segregation and polarization jointly determine the spread of conflict, an important channel that has been neglected previously. We find strong empirical support for model predictions in two very different conflicts: Hindu–Muslim riots in the 1980s and 1990s in India and the Bosnian Civil War from 1992 to 1995.
On Malaria and the Duration of Civil War
Authors: Bagozzi Benjamin E.
Published: October 2014

Geographic factors such as rugged terrain and distance from capital cities are widely believed to prolong civil wars by enabling rebel groups to resist total defeat. This article argues that prevalence of malaria can similarly serve to asymmetrically enhance rebels’ defensive capabilities and thus prolong civil war. Malaria prevalence does so in three complementary ways. First, while malaria can inflict costs on both government and rebel troops, these costs are magnified for larger and denser human groups; thereby ensuring that the costs of malaria will often be higher among government troop deployments. Second, because government soldiers are rotated in and out of conflict zones whereas insurgents typically are not, the former are likely to have a higher nonimmune exposure rate than the latter, which further ensures that government forces will be more susceptible to contracting and spreading malaria. Third, malaria can also indirectly prolong civil war by helping to maintain a socio-geographic environment that is conducive to insurgency. These three complementary factors advantage rebel forces’ abilities to resist defeat by government forces and prolong civil conflicts. I empirically test these arguments by examining the duration of civil wars and find strong support for a prolonging effect of malaria on civil conflict.
Memory Retrieval of Cultural Event Experiences
Authors: Kim Jong-Hyeong , Jang SooCheong (Shawn)
Published: October 2014

As global competition intensifies, destinations increasingly aim to deliver memorable tourism experiences (MTEs). To ensure that tourists remember past tourism experiences, destination managers and researchers must understand the factors that aid memory recall. Therefore, this research examined the influence of both internal and external factors on tourists’ memory retrieval of cultural events. Specifically, the current study examined the effects of the personality trait of openness to a different culture and retrieval cues (i.e., auditory, olfactory, and memorabilia) on memory retrieval. In two experiments using samples from two different programs at the same cultural event, subjects’ autobiographical memories of the experiences were tested. The results showed that all of the tested factors effectively facilitated memory retrieval. Subjects who were more receptive to different cultures were more likely to recollect and vividly recall the event experiences. Moreover, subjects who were exposed to retrieval cues that were relevant to the themes of the event demonstrated better memory recall. Managerial implications for event organizers are also discussed in this article.
Identifying the Antecedents of Work-Role Overload in Police Organizations
Authors: Duxbury Linda , Higgins Chris , Halinski Michael
Published: October 2014

This paper describes a three-phase multi-method research initiative to develop and validate measures used to quantify sources of work-role overload in policing. Phase I used qualitative techniques to generate items that predicted work-role overload in policing. These items were used to construct the initial measure and then tested (Phase II) using a sample of 202 police officers from one organization. Phase III tested the unidimensionality, validity, and reliability of the five measures identified in Phase II using a larger survey of 2,755 sworn officers working in 25 police organizations. Exploratory factor analysis identified and confirmatory factor analysis validated five antecedents to work-role overload in policing: competing demands, the court system, pressures to perform work outside one’s mandate, understaffing, and a nonsupportive organizational culture.
Continuity, Change, and Contradictions
Authors: Sivertsson Fredrik , Carlsson Christoffer
Published: October 2014

This study’s point of departure is the current debate over the ability to make prospective long-term predictions of criminal offending based on childhood risk factors. We begin by constructing groups based on cumulative childhood risk and measure their subsequent criminal career outcomes. The results show clear differences in adult offending but also considerable heterogeneity, suggesting that the relationship between risk factors and individuals’ subsequent offending or non-offending is complex and in need of closer study. We therefore identify individuals in the low- and high-risk groups who did not develop the criminal careers that could be expected from their risk scores and, using deviant case analysis, qualitatively analyze their life histories. Together, these cases inform us of the importance of the dynamics of risk, human agency, and the life course, as well as the historical influences under which their lives unfolded—features of social life that could in no way be predicted prospectively.
Republican deliberation and symbolic violence in Rousseau and Bourdieu
Authors: Daly Eoin
Published: October 2014

Deliberation is widely viewed as being intrinsic to republican citizenship. Neo-Roman republicans such as Philip Pettit value deliberation primarily for its role in rendering coercive political authority non-arbitrary and thus non-dominating. Accordingly, a deliberative public sphere is seen as necessary to foil domination in politics. In this article, I consider a countervailing view shared by two otherwise very different theorists – Pierre Bourdieu and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In Bourdieu’s account of social practice, deliberation can harbour subtle forms of symbolic violence (and thus of domination) in ways which neo-republican theory struggles to account for. Rousseau’s ‘communitarian’ politics of austerity is, I argue, undergirded by a similar concern that complex political discourse will represent a mystifying ‘sophistry’, encoded in differentiating signifiers, and thus become an insidious site of domination. Both perspectives, I argue, help to illuminate important blind spots in the neo-republican account of political deliberation in its relationship to domination.
Attitudes Toward Motherhood Among Sexual Minority Women in the United States
Authors: Kazyak Emily , Park Nicholas , McQuillan Julia , Greil Arthur L.
Published: October 2014

In this article, we use data from the National Survey of Fertility Barriers—a national, population-based telephone survey—to examine how sexual minority women construct and value motherhood. We analyze the small ( N = 43) random sample of self-identified sexual minority women using “survey-driven narrative construction,” which entails converting the structured answers and open-ended responses for each respondent into narratives and identifying themes. We focused on both sexual minority women’s desires and intentions to parent and on the importance they place on motherhood. We found that there is considerable variation in this population. Many sexual minority women distinguish between having and raising children, suggesting a broad notion of motherhood. We also found that sexual minority women without children are not all voluntarily childfree. Our results suggest that survey research on fertility would improve by explicitly addressing sexuality.
Utilization of information and communication technologies in public libraries at Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa
Authors: Mamafha Takalani Matamba Maurice , Ngulube Patrick , Ndwandwe Sipho C.
Published: October 2014

This study investigated the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in public libraries at Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM). In line with the principles of Batho Pele (People First), libraries in Ekurhuleni started adopting ICTs such as computers and their Internet-based facilities, photocopiers, printers, laminators, DVDs, CDs, CD-ROMs and faxes in order to improve their services to users. Despite the adoption of ICTs, there is neither a record nor existence of strong evidence on the extent to which these facilities are used. The study targeted all public libraries in Ekurhuleni and, within the libraries themselves, library users were surveyed (using questionnaires). The major findings suggest that, although ICTs in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) libraries are well utilized, poor ICT facilities, access time limit, an insufficient number of ICT facilities in these libraries and restrictive library policies made it difficult for users to maximize the full benefits offered by ICT applications. The study revealed that the lack of ICT knowledge and skills, among other things, have the potential to discourage people from maximizing the full benefits offered by ICT in public libraries, hence the need for user ICT training in public libraries. The public libraries in Ekurhuleni should address these problems in order to provide services in a manner that meets and sometimes exceed the public’s expectations in line with Batho Pele principles. This article contributes to the understanding of the use, access and perception of ICTs in public libraries in the Ekurhuleni Municipality of South Africa. It also contributes knowledge to the library and information services profession on the value of ICTs in public libraries.
Knowledge sharing in the public sector
Authors: Vong Sokha , Zo Hangjung , Ciganek Andrew P.
Published: October 2014

Knowledge sharing is a characteristic of successful organizations. This study examines the influence of knowledge sharing on organizational performance in the public sector. The institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework is utilized to examine how organizational type (government and non-government) moderates knowledge sharing in the public sector. One hundred and five representatives from organizations, departments, projects, and programs working in the food security and nutrition industry in Cambodia participated in this study. The study results show that information quality, organizational commitment, and top management support influence knowledge sharing within the public sector. Government organizations place a greater emphasis on information quality than non-government organizations. Non-government organizations exhibit greater knowledge sharing and better performance than government organizations. Additional findings that have implications for academics and public sector practitioners are discussed. The study suggests that organizations need to secure top management support and employee commitment to facilitate knowledge sharing and ultimately improve organizational performance.
What Do We Really Need? Questioning Consumption Through Sufficiency
Authors: Gorge Hélène , Herbert Maud , Özçağlar-Toulouse Nil , Robert Isabelle
Published: October 2014

This article introduces the concept of sufficiency, its specific dual nature (voluntary and obligatory), and its collective implications to the literature on sustainability. Sufficiency implies a reorganization of consumption priorities and is introduced by a discussion of consumerism and the dominant social paradigm. Long interviews with sufficient people show the complexity of the construct, which creates semantic oppositions around the notion of having (everything vs. nothing and not nothing vs. not everything). After a semiotic analysis of people’s interpretation of sufficiency, we propose a reflection about the use of macromarketing tools to better enhance and enact sufficiency in a collective way.
Not all musicians are creative: Creativity requires more than simply playing music
Authors: Sovansky Erin E. , Wieth Mareike B. , Francis Andrea P. , McIlhagga Samuel D.
Published: October 2014

Musical training has been found to be associated with increased creativity. However, it is not clear whether increased creativity, particularly divergent thinking, is associated with music expertise due to knowledge and skill, or if increased creativity arises from participation in the creation of music through practices such as improvisation and composition. This study investigated how level of music expertise and engagement in the creation of music relate to divergent thinking in musically trained adults (musicians). Sixty participants of varying music expertise were tested for divergent thinking using a modified version of Guilford’s (1967) alternative uses task, in which participants listed creative uses for two music items and two non-music items. Results indicate that musicians who create music listed more creative uses for music items than non-musicians and musicians who do not create music. For non-music items, participants did not display differences in divergent thinking.
Genetic fallout in bio-cultural landscapes: Molecular imperialism and the cultural politics of (not) seeing transgenes in Mexico
Authors: Bonneuil Christophe , Foyer Jean , Wynne Brian
Published: October 2014

This article explores the trajectory of the global controversy over the introgression (or not) of transgenes from genetically modified maize into Mexican indigenous maize landraces. While a plurality of knowledge-making processes were deployed to render transgenes visible or invisible, we analyze how a particular in vitro based DNA-centered knowledge came to marginalize other forms of knowledge, thus obscuring other bio-cultural dimensions key to the understanding of gene flow and maize diversity. We show that dominant molecular norms of proof and standards of detection, which co-developed with the world of industrial monocropping and gene patenting, discarded and externalized non-compliant actors (i.e. complex maize genomes, human dimensions of gene flow). Operating in the name of high science, they hence obscured the complex biological and cultural processes that maintain crop diversity and enacted a cultural–political domination over the world of Mexican landraces and indigenous communities.
Increased risk of urinary calculi in patients with migraine: A nationwide cohort study
Authors: Tsai Min-Juei , Chen Yung-Tai , Ou Shuo-Ming , Shin Chia-Jen , Peng Kuan-Po , Tang Chao-Hsiun , Wang Shuu-Jiun
Published: October 2014

Objective

Whether migraine is associated with urinary calculi is an unresolved issue, although topiramate, a migraine-preventive agent, is known to contribute to this complication. This study investigates the association between migraine and the risk of urinary calculi.

Methods

We identified a total of 147,399 patients aged ≥18 years with migraine diagnoses recorded in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between 2005 and 2009. Each patient was randomly matched with one individual without headache using propensity scores. All participants were followed from the date of enrollment until urinary calculi development, death, or the end of 2010.

Results

The risk of urinary calculi was greater in the migraine than the control cohort (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 1.58; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.52–1.63; p < 0.001, irrespective of the influence of topiramate. The risk was higher in younger and female patients. The magnitude of the risk was proportional to the annual frequency of clinic visits for headache (≥6 vs. <3, aHR = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04–1.17; p = 0.002), but did not differ between migraine patients with and without aura.

Conclusions

Our study showed migraine was associated with an increased risk of urinary calculi, independent of topiramate use. A higher frequency of clinic visits was associated with a greater risk.
Deficiencies in Pitching Biomechanics in Baseball Players With a History of Superior Labrum Anterior-Posterior Repair
Authors: Laughlin Walter A. , Fleisig Glenn S. , Scillia Anthony J. , Aune Kyle T. , Cain E. Lyle , Dugas Jeffrey R.
Published: October 2014

Background:

Baseball pitchers who undergo superior labrum anterior-posterior (SLAP) repair often have trouble returning to their previous level of performance. While the reason is often assumed to be diminished shoulder range of motion or other mechanical changes, differences in pitching biomechanics between baseball pitchers with a history of SLAP repair and pitchers with no injury history have not been studied previously.

Hypothesis:

The primary hypothesis was that compared with the control group, the SLAP group would exhibit compromised shoulder range of motion (external rotation and horizontal abduction) and internal rotation torque during pitching.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Pitching biomechanics were compared retrospectively between a group of 13 collegiate and professional pitchers with a history of a SLAP tear and a control group of 52 pitchers with no history of surgery; groups were matched by age, height, weight, and pitch velocity. Data were collected with an automated 3-dimensional motion analysis system while participants threw fastballs from the windup. Biomechanics of the shoulder (horizontal abduction and external rotation), elbow (flexion, extension velocity, and flexion torque), and body (stride length, shoulder horizontal adduction, and forward trunk tilt) were compared between the 2 groups. For each variable, a Student t test was used at an α level of .05.

Results:

Pitchers in the SLAP group exhibited significantly less shoulder horizontal abduction (10.0° ± 13.2° vs 21.0° ± 11.7°, respectively; P = .013) and shoulder external rotation (168.3° ± 12.7° vs 178.3° ± 7.3°, respectively; P = .016) than those in the control group. In addition, players in the SLAP group pitched with a more upright trunk, demonstrated by a less forward trunk tilt at the instant of ball release (30.2° ± 6.3° vs 34.4° ± 6.6°, respectively; P = .048).

Conclusion:

Pitchers with a history of SLAP repair produce less shoulder horizontal abduction, shoulder external rotation, and forward trunk tilt during pitching than do pitchers with no history of injury.

Clinical Relevance:

To facilitate normal pitching mechanics, shoulder external rotation and horizontal abduction at 90° should be primary objectives in surgical repair and rehabilitation after SLAP repair. In addition, pitchers should work with their pitching coaches to ensure proper forward trunk tilt.
Quantification of landfill methane using modified Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s waste model and error function analysis
Authors: Govindan Siva Shangari , Agamuthu P
Published: October 2014

Waste management can be regarded as a cross-cutting environmental ‘mega-issue’. Sound waste management practices support the provision of basic needs for general health, such as clean air, clean water and safe supply of food. In addition, climate change mitigation efforts can be achieved through reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from waste management operations, such as landfills. Landfills generate landfill gas, especially methane, as a result of anaerobic degradation of the degradable components of municipal solid waste. Evaluating the mode of generation and collection of landfill gas has posted a challenge over time. Scientifically, landfill gas generation rates are presently estimated using numerical models. In this study the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Waste Model is used to estimate the methane generated from a Malaysian sanitary landfill. Key parameters of the model, which are the decay rate and degradable organic carbon, are analysed in two different approaches; the bulk waste approach and waste composition approach. The model is later validated using error function analysis and optimum decay rate, and degradable organic carbon for both approaches were also obtained. The best fitting values for the bulk waste approach are a decay rate of 0.08 y−1 and degradable organic carbon value of 0.12; and for the waste composition approach the decay rate was found to be 0.09 y−1 and degradable organic carbon value of 0.08. From this validation exercise, the estimated error was reduced by 81% and 69% for the bulk waste and waste composition approach, respectively. In conclusion, this type of modelling could constitute a sensible starting point for landfills to introduce careful planning for efficient gas recovery in individual landfills.
Width effects on downward flame spread over poly(methyl methacrylate) sheets
Authors: Zhao Kun , Zhou Xiaodong , Yang Lizhong , Gong Junhui , Wu Zhibo , Huan Zufei , Liu Xueqiang
Published: October 2014

The experiments of downward flame spread over poly(methyl methacrylate) sheets with different dimensions were conducted in this study. In comparison with flame spread over samples under infinite width condition, lateral air entrainment shows significant influence on downward flame spread of finite width. The characteristic angles, defined as those produced on sample residues in a steady-state stage, are constant for different dimensions. Based on the characteristic angles and with reasonable assumptions, a three-dimensional theoretical model is proposed to illustrate the experimental results. Width effects on downward flame spread over thicker samples are more obvious and they fade away with gradual increase in width. Moreover, the heat flux penetrating through the solid surface at the front of the pyrolysis region is higher than that in the two-dimensional case. The flame height correlates well with mass loss rate as an exponential function with a mean power value of 0.79.
Association of Genetic Polymorphism of Pre-MicroRNA-146a rs2910164 and Serum High-Mobility Group Box 1 With Febrile Seizures in Egyptian Children
Authors: Issac Marianne Samir Makboul , Girgis Marian , Haroun Mervat , Shalaby Amal
Published: October 2014

Interaction between immune-inflammatory process and genetic factors might be implicated in the pathogenesis of febrile seizures. Pre-microRNA (miR)-146a rs2910164 polymorphism is postulated to modulate expression of miR-146a whose anti-inflammatory role involves regulation of high-mobility group box 1. Our aim is to examine whether rs2910164 polymorphism influences serum high-mobility group box 1 levels and whether an association exists between both and febrile seizures. The study included 136 children, divided into 4 groups. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used for detection of rs2910164 polymorphism and high-mobility group box 1 was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. High-mobility group box 1 levels were higher in febrile seizure patients compared to the other groups. Rs2910164 polymorphism was not associated with increased risk of febrile seizures. Rs2910164 polymorphism might be accompanied by an upregulation of the proinflammatory process as it might be associated with an increase in high-mobility group box 1 and leukocytic count.
Evidence-Based Management of Common Gallstone-Related Emergencies
Authors: Demehri Farokh R. , Alam Hasan B.
Published: October 2014

Gallstone-related disease is among the most common clinical problems encountered worldwide. The manifestations of cholelithiasis vary greatly, ranging from mild biliary colic to life-threatening gallstone pancreatitis and cholangitis. The vast majority of gallstone-related diseases encountered in an acute setting can be categorized as biliary colic, cholecystitis, choledocholithiasis, and pancreatitis, although these diagnoses can overlap. The management of these diseases is uniquely multidisciplinary, involving many specialties and treatment options. Thus, care may be compromised due to redundant tests, treatment delays, or inconsistent management. This review outlines the evidence for initial evaluation, diagnostic workup, and treatment for the most common gallstone-related emergencies. Key principles include initial risk stratification of patients to aid in triage and timing of interventions, early initiation of appropriate antibiotics for patients with evidence of cholecystitis or cholangitis, patient selection for endoscopic biliary decompression, and growing evidence in favor of early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for clinically stable patients.
Pharmacologic Treatment Reduces Pressure Times Time Dose and Relative Duration of Intracranial Hypertension
Authors: Colton Katharine , Yang S. , Hu P. F. , Chen H. H. , Bonds B. , Stansbury L. G. , Scalea T. M. , Stein D. M.
Published: October 2014

Introduction:

Past work has shown the importance of the “pressure times time dose” (PTD) of intracranial hypertension (intracranial pressure [ICP] > 19 mm Hg) in predicting outcome after severe traumatic brain injury. We used automated data collection to measure the effect of common medications on the duration and dose of intracranial hypertension.

Methods:

Patients >17 years old, admitted and requiring ICP monitoring between 2008 and 2010 at a single, large urban tertiary care facility, were retrospectively enrolled. Timing and dose of ICP-directed therapy were recorded from paper and electronic medical records. The ICP data were collected automatically at 6-second intervals and averaged over 5 minutes. The percentage of time of intracranial hypertension (PTI) and PTD (mm Hg h) were calculated.

Results:

A total of 98 patients with 664 treatment instances were identified. Baseline PTD ranged from 27 (before administration of propofol and fentanyl) to 150 mm Hg h (before mannitol). A “small” dose of hypertonic saline (HTS; ≤250 mL 3%) reduced PTD by 38% in the first hour and 37% in the second hour and reduced the time with ICP >19 by 38% and 39% after 1 and 2 hours, respectively. A “large” dose of HTS reduced PTD by 40% in the first hour and 63% in the second (PTI reduction of 36% and 50%, respectively). An increased dose of propofol or fentanyl infusion failed to decrease PTD but reduced PTI between 14% (propofol alone) and 30% (combined increase in propofol and fentanyl, after 2 hours). Barbiturates failed to decrease PTD but decreased PTI by 30% up to 2 hours after administration. All reductions reported are significantly changed from baseline, P < .05.

Conclusion:

Baseline PTD values before drug administration reflects varied patient criticality, with much higher values seen before the use of mannitol or barbiturates. Treatment with HTS reduced PTD and PTI burden significantly more than escalation of sedation or pain management, and this effect remained significant at 2 hours after administration.
City Planning versus Urban Planning
Authors: Gleye Paul H.
Published: October 2014

Planning as a profession in the United States has a bifurcated heritage of design-oriented physical planning and policy-oriented socioeconomic planning. This fundamental dichotomy continues to divide the profession into two distinct interests and two distinct approaches to urban issues, a tension that is especially problematic today, given the dominance of a design orientation in urban development and the dominance of a policy orientation in the planning profession. The author reviews this dual heritage and its underlying attitudes and concludes by making five recommendations that can assist the planning profession to recapture its unique role, to strengthen its ability to address contemporary urban issues, and to become a stronger player vis-à-vis architects and civil engineers in guiding the future of American cities.
Laïcité: A parallel French cultural policy (2002–2007)
Authors: Ahearne Jeremy
Published: October 2014

The recasting of laïcité in France between 2002 and 2012 constituted a channel through which succeeding right-wing governments endeavoured to secure a form of cultural hegemony. This article focuses on the period 2002–7. The process leading to the anti-veil legislation of 2004 under President Chirac revealed how this symbolically charged motif once associated with the left had been displaced and integrated into a traditional and restrictive right-wing culture-shaping programme. Interior minister Sarkozy’s endeavours between 2002 and 2004 to fashion an institutional dialogue with Islam in France were initially at odds with Chirac’s programme. However, by 2007, Sarkozy had changed tack to produce an alternative reframing of laïcité, ‘positively’ celebrating the intertwining of national and Catholic cultures, whilst using Islam as a negative foil for the projection of that identity. This laid the groundwork for the subsequent hardening of laïcité debates and the appropriation of the term by the far right.
Le tropisme russe de la chanson française de la Libération à l’effondrement du bloc soviétique
Authors: Francfort Didier
Published: October 2014

Résumé

En pleine période de Guerre Froide, la société française se construit en chanson une image originale de la Russie Soviétique, mêlant stéréotypes, volonté politique de dépasser la logique des blocs, nostalgie des familles d’émigrés. La quantité importante de « chansons russes » françaises culmine dans les années 1960. On retrouve des caractéristiques musicales et des thèmes communs, quelle que soit l’orientation politique des auteurs, compositeurs et interprètes.