bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In Search of Value Added in the Case of Complex School Effects
Authors: Timmermans Anneke C. , Snijders Tom A. B. , Bosker Roel J.
Published: September 2012

In traditional studies on value-added indicators of educational effectiveness, students are usually treated as belonging to those schools where they took their final examination. However, in practice, students sometimes attend multiple schools and therefore it is questionable whether this assumption of belonging to the last school they attended can be made. Furthermore, the schools attended earlier by students might have long-term effects on their subsequent performance. Using data from Dutch primary and secondary schools, multiple membership models and cross classification multilevel models were estimated to explore the effects of student mobility and long-term primary school effects on the estimated value added of secondary schools. Long-term effects of primary schools did not change the estimated value added of secondary schools. On the other hand, allowing students to be a member of multiple secondary schools changed the estimated effectiveness of these schools especially for schools in the middle range of effectiveness.
Impact of a Bone Conduction Communication Channel on Multichannel Communication System Effectiveness
Authors: Blue Misty , McBride Maranda , Weatherless Rachel , Letowski Tomasz
Published: September 2012

Objective:

In this study, the impact of including a bone conduction transducer in a three-channel spatialized communication system was investigated.

Background:

Several military and security forces situations require concurrent listening to three or more radio channels. In such radio systems, spatial separation between three concurrent radio channels can be achieved by delivering separate signals to the left and right earphone independently and both earphones simultaneously. This method appears to be effective; however, the use of bone conduction as one channel may provide both operational and performance benefits.

Method:

Three three-channel communication systems were used to collect speech intelligibility data from 18 listeners (System 1, three loudspeakers; System 2, stereo headphones; System 3, stereo headphones and a bone conduction vibrator). Each channel presented signals perceived to originate from separate locations. Volunteers listened to three sets of competing sentences and identified a number, color, and object spoken in the target sentence. Each listener participated in three trials (one per system). Each trial consisted of 48 competing sentence sets.

Results:

Systems 2 and 3 were more intelligible than System 1. Systems 2 and 3 were overall equally intelligible; however, the intelligibility of all three channels was significantly more balanced in System 3.

Conclusion:

Replacing an air conduction transducer with a bone conduction transducer in a multichannel audio device can provide a more effective and balanced simultaneous monitoring auditory environment.

Application:

These results have important design and implementation implications for spatial auditory communication equipment.
Politicization within the European Commission’s bureaucracy
Authors: Bauer Michael W. , Ege Jörn
Published: September 2012

Against a background of institutional change and organizational reform, we analyze the politicization of the European Commission’s bureaucracy. Politicization can generally be defined as the substitution of bureaucratic neutrality by introducing political considerations into the human resource management and behaviour of civil servants. The concepts of direct and professional politicization serve as vantage points for our analysis. The empirical data are taken from documentary analysis and recent online and semi-structured surveys of Commission officials. We show that Commission bureaucrats, although they are highly sensitive to the political side of their job, are less politicized since the Kinnock reforms than before. While the College of the Commission seems to have indeed become more politically responsive to its supranational peers and national governments, the Commission’s bureaucracy can be characterized as weakly politicized or, according to current debates, as quite instrumental in a Neo-Weberian sense.

Points for practitioners

Distinction between ‘direct’ and ‘professional’ politicization. We see de-politicization at service level but a stronger political role for the College of the Commission. Evidence for the high quality and high professionalism of the Commission service.
The pattern and challenges to multisectoral HIV/AIDS coordination in Tanzania
Authors: Hellevik Siri Bjerkreim
Published: September 2012

Multisectoral coordination of HIV/AIDS work has been the leading governance strategy for most sub-Saharan African countries since the early 2000s, institutionalized with national multisectoral coordinating bodies within the central government. This article reveals how such efforts have been practiced in Tanzania. An assessment framework based on theoretical elements from organization theory and elements central to aid coordination/global health coordination policy and strategy literature serves as the basis for data collection and structures the presentation of findings. The article finds that the pattern and challenges to coordination in Tanzania can be summed up as a politics of coordination, with priorities determined by global health initiatives while the national AIDS commission lacks political authority. Together with other factors, such a situation presents severe challenges to multisectoral coordination.

Point for practitioners

Successful multisectoral coordination of HIV/AIDS/global health in aid-dependent countries requires careful consideration of labour divisions and coordination initiatives among involved actors, including the central government, bilateral/multilateral donors, and NGOs. Ensuring horizontal-internal and vertical-internal as well as external coordination of a cross-sectoral issue requires the highest office of government to provide continuous political support to the coordinating bodies; otherwise, ministries will not give priority to cross-sectoral issues, resulting in failure. Moreover, understanding the larger political economy of the sector within which coordination takes place is pertinent to explain why multisectoral coordination faces severe challenges in Tanzania.
The politicization of the EU Commission: democratic control and the dynamics of executive selection
Authors: Wille Anchrit
Published: September 2012

Since the rise of the narrative on the ‘democratic deficit’, at the beginning of the 1990s, EU governance is expected to be democratic and its executive is expected to be democratically legitimated. Since this issue was forced onto the European agenda, the EU has been in a process of continuous polity building in which the Treaties have been revised every few years by the member states to make – among other things – the holders of political power in the institutions more accountable. This article links the changes in the legal and political framework governing the appointment and tasks of the EU Commission to changes in executive recruitment. It explains how strengthened democratic control and accountability over this part of the EU executive has politicized the selection of EU commissioners. This has become visible in the access and exit procedures of this part of the EU executive, but also in shifts in the demand and supply factors in the process of EU executive recruitment. This change is best characterized as a response and adaptation to the increasingly demanding political environment within which the EU Commission finds itself entrenched – one where the highest political personnel of the EU executive need to address the modern problems of a democratic polity.

Points for practitioners

The expansion of democratic accountability arrangements in the EU has politicized the appointment of EU commissioners in three respects: in the procedures of appointing commissioners; in the composition of the College; and in the career pathways of commissioners. Democratization has meant that representation and political professionalization have become very significant in the selection of the EU executive.
Relationships between synthesis parameters and properties of water expandable polystyrene
Authors: Khosrowshahi Sedigheh Mirhoseini , Abbasi Farhang , Harasi Naser , Maher Behnaz Memar
Published: September 2012

Because of the negative environmental impact of volatile hydrocarbon-based blowing agents used in expandable polymers, water has been considered a suitable candidate. Water expandable polystyrene is a polystyrene containing water cells, which may be used as blowing agent. Because of different physical properties of water and volatile hydrocarbons, production conditions and physical properties of expandable polystyrene and water expandable polystyrene are completely different. In this work, water expandable polystyrene was prepared via suspension polymerization of the styrene/polystyrene mixture that contained water droplets as blowing agent. An inverse emulsion system was used to incorporate water into the organic phase. An experimental design was created to investigate the effects of variation of pre-polymerization time, surfactant concentration, suspension stabilizer/suspending agent ratio, suspension stabilizer addition time, and the amount of initial emulsified water on the particle size, distribution of water droplets, and the water content of the final beads. The relationships between the synthesis parameters and the properties of water expandable polystyrene were also studied. Regarding to the expansion behavior of water expandable polystyrene beads, the effect of water content and bead size on the expandability and the foam density were investigated.
Regional House Prices and the Ripple Effect in Malaysia
Authors: Lean Hooi Hooi , Smyth Russell
Published: September 2012

This paper applies univariate and panel Lagrange multiplier (LM) unit root tests with one and two structural breaks to the ratio of the regional to national house price to examine the ripple effect for five different housing price indices (aggregate housing, detached housing, semi-detached housing, terrace housing and high-rise housing) across 14 regional locations in Malaysia. Segmentation is restricted to a small group of states across most housing types for which there is no long-run relationship with the Malaysian average. When all housing types are taken together, evidence of a ripple effect is generally found from the most developed states to the less developed states of Malaysia. While overall rates of conversion to the long-run equilibrium are consistent with a low level of persistence, there is some evidence of regional clusters based on similar speeds of adjustment in different parts of the country.
Carl Schmitt’s Critique of Kant
Authors: Benhabib Seyla
Published: September 2012

Carl Schmitt’s critique of liberalism has gained increasing influence in the last few decades. This article focuses on Schmitt’s analysis of international law in The Nomos of the Earth, in order to uncover the reasons for his appeal as a critic not only of liberalism but of American hegemonic aspirations as well. Schmitt saw the international legal order that developed after World War I, and particularly the “criminalization of aggressive war,” as a smokescreen to hide U.S. aspirations to world dominance. By focusing on Schmitt’s critique of Kant’s concept of the “unjust enemy,” the article shows the limits of Schmitt’s views and concludes that Schmitt, as well as left critics of U.S. hegemony, misconstrue the relation between international law and democratic sovereignty as a model of top–down domination. As conflictual as the relationship between international norms and democratic sovereignty can be at times, this needs to be interpreted as one of mediation and not domination.
The MARC tags and ISBD display formats for the ABCD UNIMARC bibliographic database
Authors: Mêgnigbêto Eustache
Published: September 2012

ABCD is a free and open integrated library management software based on the CDS/ISIS technology. Its first version, launched in December 2009, provided a MARC 21 format database. The second version, released mid-2012, provided the second international MARC format database, namely UNIMARC. But the MARC format is only designed for computer processing; for human beings, other formats like ISBD, AACR, MARC tags or subject/content are more indicated. This paper presents two display formats incorporated into the UNIMARC database that allow records to be displayed and printed according to ISBD specifications or dumped according to the MARC tags pattern.
Fast and accurate scan registration through minimization of the distance between compact 3D NDT representations
Authors: Stoyanov Todor , Magnusson Martin , Andreasson Henrik , Lilienthal Achim J
Published: September 2012

Registration of range sensor measurements is an important task in mobile robotics and has received a lot of attention. Several iterative optimization schemes have been proposed in order to align three-dimensional (3D) point scans. With the more widespread use of high-frame-rate 3D sensors and increasingly more challenging application scenarios for mobile robots, there is a need for fast and accurate registration methods that current state-of-the-art algorithms cannot always meet. This work proposes a novel algorithm that achieves accurate point cloud registration an order of a magnitude faster than the current state of the art. The speedup is achieved through the use of a compact spatial representation: the Three-Dimensional Normal Distributions Transform (3D-NDT). In addition, a fast, global-descriptor based on the 3D-NDT is defined and used to achieve reliable initial poses for the iterative algorithm. Finally, a closed-form expression for the covariance of the proposed method is also derived. The proposed algorithms are evaluated on two standard point cloud data sets, resulting in stable performance on a par with or better than the state of the art. The implementation is available as an open-source package for the Robot Operating System (ROS).
Factors Buffering Against the Effects of Job Demands
Authors: Besen Elyssa , Matz-Costa Christina , James Jacquelyn B. , Pitt-Catsouphes Marcie
Published: September 2012

Given the increasing role that paid work is likely to play in older adulthood in the coming decades, the goal of this study was to understand the circumstances under which work is related to mental health for older adults and whether these circumstances differ by age. Using a multiworksite sample of 1,812 U.S. workers age 18 to 81, we use the life-span theory of control to hypothesize that older and younger workers may benefit differentially from job and personal control in the context of high job demands. Results suggest that for younger workers with high personal control, job control buffers the impact of job demands on mental health. For older workers, personal control alone buffers the impact of job demands on mental health. This study adds to previous research by addressing how the factors thought to buffer against the effects of job demands differ cross-sectionally by age.
Primary and Secondary Central Nervous System Vasculitis
Authors: Gowdie Peter , Twilt Marinka , Benseler Susanne M.
Published: September 2012

Central nervous system vasculitis is an increasingly recognized inflammatory brain disease causing devastating neurological deficits and psychiatric manifestations in previously healthy children. Primary central nervous system vasculitis represents an isolated inflammatory attack targeting the cerebral vessels. In contrast, in children with secondary central nervous system vasculitis, an underlying condition can be identified. The spectrum of childhood primary and secondary central nervous system vasculitis is rapidly expanding, as is the differential diagnosis including nonvasculitic inflammatory brain diseases and noninflammatory vasculopathies. Early recognition, rapid diagnostic evaluation, and initiation of treatment have led to improved morbidity and mortality. This review focuses on clinical, laboratory, and neuroimaging characteristics of the distinct subtypes of primary childhood central nervous system vasculitis, reports the etiology of secondary central nervous system vasculitis, provides an overview of the differential diagnosis, and reviews the current approaches in treatment.
Sexual Orientation Disparities in History of Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Goldberg Naomi G. , Meyer Ilan H.
Published: September 2012

Few studies have examined history of intimate partner violence (IPV) among sexual minorities. We assessed prevalence and predictors of IPV using a probability sample of California residents ages 18 to 70. Lifetime and 1-year IPV prevalence was higher in sexual minorities compared with heterosexuals but this was significant only for bisexual women and gay men. IPV of bisexual women, but not gay men, occurred in a heterosexual relationship. We tested whether the higher prevalence of IPV in gay men and bisexual women was explained by two mental health indicators—psychological distress and binge drinking—but this hypothesis was not supported.
Student Impressions of an Art Therapy Class
Authors: Hensel Desiree , Bradburn Taylor Caitlin , Kelly Amy , Manahan Isabel , Merriman Hannah , Metzinger Faith , Moore Heather
Published: September 2012

Art therapy facilitates the expression of thoughts and feelings and thus may serve as a self-care strategy. This paper describes the implementation of an expressive art therapy class to teach self-care during a required sophomore level nursing wellness course and the outcomes of the class through the eyes of six students. While students were initially reluctant to engage in the activity, the shared stories revealed feelings of relaxation, empowerment, value clarification, and increased self-awareness. The implication for nursing education is that the integration of art therapy into curricula may serve as an effective strategy to teaching self-care and core professional values.
The Effects of Slow-Stroke Back Massage on Minutes of Nighttime Sleep in Persons With Dementia and Sleep Disturbances in the Nursing Home
Authors: Harris Melodee , Richards Kathy Culpepper , Grando Victoria T.
Published: September 2012

Purpose: This pilot study tested the effects of a 3-minute slow-stroke back massage (SSBM) on total minutes of nighttime sleep on persons with dementia with sleep disturbances aged 65 years or older in the nursing home. Design: Pilot randomized controlled trial. Methods: Participants were randomized to an intervention group ( n = 20) who received the 3-minute SSBM or a usual care control condition group ( n = 20) who received usual bedtime care. Forty-eight hours of actigraphy data was recorded and analyzed on sleep variables at baseline and postintervention. Findings: Descriptive statistics showed a 36-minute increase on minutes of nighttime sleep in the SSBM intervention group (46.1 minutes) compared with the control group (10.32 minutes). Analysis of covariance did not reveal significant differences between the intervention and control groups on minutes of nighttime sleep, F(1, 37) = 1.90, p = .18, partial η2 = .05, or on other sleep variables. Conclusions: Dose-finding studies are needed to determine the duration of SSBM for sleep promotion. Findings from this pilot study suggest that SSBM may be an effective nursing intervention for sleep in persons with dementia in the nursing home, but further testing is needed to provide definitive results.
Impact of Geriatric Conditions Versus Medical Diagnoses on ADL Disability Among Nonagenarians and Centenarians
Authors: Wu Hongmei , Flaherty Joseph , Dong Birong , Liu Guanjian , Deng Juelin , Zhang Yanling , Wu Jinhui , Zeng Guo , Ren Xiaohui , Hu Junmei , Wu Weili , Malmstrom Theodore K.
Published: September 2012

Objective: The authors investigated the relationship of activities of daily living (ADL) disability with medical diseases and geriatric conditions among nonagenarians and centenarians. Method: Cross-sectional, n = 870 Chinese (age range: 90-108 years). Self-reported medical diseases and geriatric-specific conditions were obtained by face-to-face interviews. Biomedical measurements included systolic/diastolic blood pressure, BMI (body mass index), albumin, fasting glucose, creatinine clearance, hemoglobin, and lipid panel. Results: In bivariate analyses, 4 of 7 geriatric conditions (hearing problems, falls, cognitive impairment, fracture), and 6 of 11 biomedical measurements (fasting glucose, cholesterol, LDL, creatinine clearance, hemoglobin, albumin), but none of 10 medical diseases and no degree of comorbidities, were associated with ADL disability. In four different multivariate logistic regression models, two geriatric conditions (impaired cognition, fracture) were significant in three models, respiratory disease in one model, and fasting glucose in two models. Discussion: This study emphasizes the importance of geriatric conditions and their association with ADL disability among the oldest-old adult population.
Social Isolation, Loneliness and Health Among Older Adults
Authors: Coyle Caitlin E. , Dugan Elizabeth
Published: September 2012

Objective: To examine the relationship of social isolation, loneliness and health outcomes among older adults. Methods: Using data from the Leave Behind Questionnaire of the Health and Retirement Study (2006 and 2008), ( n = 11,825) several indicators of social isolation were scaled and the Hughes 3-Item Loneliness Scale was used. Two measures of health (self-rated health and mental health conditions) were examined using logistic regression. Results: Loneliness and social isolation were not highly correlated with one another ( r = 0.201, p = 0.000). Loneliness was associated with higher odds of having a mental health problem ( OR: 1.17; CI: [1.13, 1.21], p = 0.000); and isolation was associated with higher odds of reporting one’s health as being fair/poor ( OR:1.39; CI: [1.21, 1.59], p = 0.000). Discussion: The results suggest that global measures of isolation, that fail to distinguish between social isolation and feelings of loneliness, may not detect the impact on physical and mental health in older adults.
Depressive Symptoms and Memory Performance Among Older Adults
Authors: Lohman Matthew C. , Rebok George W. , Spira Adam P. , Parisi Jeanine M. , Gross Alden L. , Kueider Alexandra M.
Published: September 2012

Background:

Cognitive performance benefits from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study may differ for individuals who exhibit a greater number of depressive symptoms.

Method:

Using data from ACTIVE memory training and control conditions, we evaluated the effect of depressive symptomatology on memory scores across a 5-year period. Of 1,401 participants, 210 had elevated depressive symptoms at baseline, as measured by a 12-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D).

Results:

Participants with elevated depressive symptoms scored significantly lower at baseline and had faster decline in memory performance than those exhibiting fewer depressive symptoms. Memory score differences among depressive symptom categories did not differ between training conditions.

Discussion:

Findings suggest that elevated depressive symptoms may predict declines in memory ability over time, but do not attenuate gains from training. Training provides a potential method of improving memory which is robust to effects of depression.
Corrosion behavior of low-nickel alloy steels in a simulated oilfield environment containing carbon dioxide
Authors: Wei Dan , Wang Hong Yan , Zhu Shi Dong , Yin Zhi Fu , Bai Zhen Quan , Li He Lin
Published: September 2012

The microstructures and mechanical properties (tension strength Rm, yield strength Rt0.5 and impact energy Akv) of the low-nickel alloy steels 08Ni, 12CrNi and 20CrNi with and without heat treatment were measured and analyzed, as well as the common gathering pipeline steels (X60 and 16Mn). The results indicate that the mechanical properties of the low-nickel alloy steels with heat treatment are superior compared with other test materials, in the sequence as follows: (20CrNi) > (12CrNi) > (08Ni) > 20CrNi > 12CrNi > X60 > 08Ni > 16Mn (“(steel)” indicates the material with heat treatment, and “steel” means without). The weight-loss method was used to test the corrosion rates of the test materials exposed to a simulated oilfield environment for 168 h at 90 °C with the CO2 partial pressure and total pressure 2 MPa and 10 MPa, respectively. The systematical characterization with scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction displayed the different micro-morphology of corrosion scales formed on the surface of the test materials with FeCO3 as the only detected composition of corrosion product. That the low-nickel alloy steels with heat treatment showed a higher corrosion resistance than those without, mainly resulted from the different microstructures of the matrix, the characteristics of corrosion scale and the composition of elements.
Overview of the modelling techniques of actuator non-linearities in the engine air path
Authors: Ahmed Fayez S , Laghrouche Salah , El Bagdouri Mohammed
Published: September 2012

This paper presents a synthesis of non-linearities present in mechatronic air path actuators of diesel engines. These actuators allow precise control over air path dynamics because of their fast response times and accuracy in transient conditions. However, the non-linearities present in their characteristics limit their closed-loop performance. In this paper we discuss various non-linear phenomena existing in actuator characteristics and their physical causes. Different modelling schemes for the physical causes are also presented, which simulate the non-linear behaviour of the actuators. Furthermore, other factors, such as operational conditions and ageing, and their degrading effects on the actuator performance, are also discussed.
Effect of the air-conditioning system on the fuel economy in a gasoline engine vehicle
Authors: Lee Jungwoo , Kim Jaeheun , Park Jungseo , Bae Choongsik
Published: September 2012

The air-conditioning system is the single largest auxiliary load on a vehicle. This implies that the air-conditioning system is the key component among all accessories which causes the fuel economy to deteriorate. Therefore, it is important to verify the primary parameters of the components of the air-conditioning system which affect the fuel consumption. This paper presents the effect of each component of the air-conditioning system on the fuel consumption of a conventional gasoline engine vehicle operating at various engine speeds. It was found that air-conditioning operation increased the fuel consumption by 90% maximum compared with the operation without air-conditioning during the idling condition. As the vehicle speed increased, the portion of the fuel consumption due to the compressor of the air-conditioning system increased, while the portion of the fuel consumption due to the alternator decreased. Other components such as the blower, the cooling fan and the clutch maintained nearly constant portions of the torque distribution from the alternator irrespective of the vehicle speed.
Investigation of a hybrid renewable– microgeneration energy system for power and thermal generation with reduced emissions
Authors: Ribberink Hajo , Lombardi Kathleen , Yang Libing , Entchev Evgueniy
Published: September 2012

A conceptual study is described into the hybridization of Stirling engine-based residential cogeneration systems with solar thermal systems. Simulation results of four hybrid system configurations applied in various locations in Canada are presented and compared to Base Case systems without solar input. Additional optimization cases are discussed. Adding solar collectors to a residential cogeneration system has a clear potential to reduce natural gas consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The simulated cases showed a 10%–15% decrease in the consumption of natural gas, which corresponds to a greenhouse gas emission reduction of approximately 700–1200 kg/house/year (depending on configuration and location). Hybrid systems are complex and highly integrated systems. A full system optimization was therefore not possible in this study. Recommendations are given for further optimization of this type of systems.
The ambiguous utility of psychometrics for the interpretative foundation of socially relevant avatars
Authors: Vautier Stéphane , Veldhuis Michiel , Lacot Émilie , Matton Nadine
Published: September 2012

The persisting debates that measurement in psychology elicits can be explained by the conflict between two aspiration types. One, the epistemologic aspiration, resting on the search for scientific truth, and two, the social aspiration, resting on the demonstration of a capacity to contribute to psychological assessment problems in particular. Psychometrics answer essentially to psychology’s demand for social utility, leading to the quasi-exclusive attribution of importance to quantitative interpretation. For psychology to be considered an empirical science, it has to establish its capacity for the measurement of psychological phenomena, even if this means that it recognizes that these phenomena are essentially qualitative.
Functions, levels, and mechanisms: Explanation in cognitive science and its problems
Authors: Marraffa Massimo , Paternoster Alfredo
Published: September 2012

In the first part of the paper we describe the philosophical debate on the expansions of cognitive science into the brain and into the environment, take sides against the “revolutionary” positions on them and in favor of a “reformist” approach, and conclude that the most appropriate model for cognitive sciences is pluralistic. This is meant in a twofold sense. On the one hand, mental phenomena require a variety of explanatory levels, whose inter-relations are of two kinds: decomposition and contextualization. On the other hand, the arguably quasi-holistic character of some cognitive tasks suggests that the mechanistic style of explanation has to be integrated in these cases with a dynamical explanatory style. This theoretical picture, however, raises two classes of problems: (a) the compatibility between the mechanistic-computationalist explanation and the dynamical one and (b) the nature of theoretical entities and relations postulated at the different levels of a pluralistic model involving computational explanations. Each point will be discussed in the second part of the paper.
Design and analysis of compound potential energy regeneration system for hybrid hydraulic excavator
Authors: Wang Tao , Wang Qingfeng
Published: September 2012

Potential energy regeneration system, which shares an electrical energy storage device with power system, can further improve the fuel economy of hybrid construction machinery without much additional expense. However, the conventional potential energy regeneration system also results in poorer dynamic performance of actuators in comparison to throttle-governing system. In addition, the capacity of the regenerator should be large enough to avoid overload. Based on comprehensive consideration, this article presents a compound potential energy regeneration system that combines the regeneration device and throttle together. The regenerative torque is adaptive to load so as to keep the pressure drop over the throttle almost constant, and then the actuator can be governed by adjusting the opening of the throttle. The compound potential energy regeneration system is analyzed and evaluated using the frequency domain method and nonlinear simulation. Finally, experiments under different parameter conditions are carried out, and some useful design reference is provided. The simulation and experimental results show the effectiveness of the designed system as well as its control strategy.
H∞ controller design for a class of switched linear discrete-time system with polytopic uncertainties
Authors: Xiang Weiming , Xiao Jian
Published: September 2012

In this article, a new parameter-dependent stability criterion for switched linear discrete-time systems with polytopic uncertainties is provided to correct an error occurring in previous work, and the parameter-dependent idea is extended to ℓ2 gain analysis problem. Particularly, a less conservative result is proposed by introducing additional slack matrices. Furthermore, the ℋ∞ control problem is investigated. Due to the online calculation characteristic of parameter-dependent controller, a controller structure with less computation cost is of interest. Aside from the controller with the same form as in some existing results involving matrix multiplication and inversion operators, another simple structure of controller formulated by a convex combination of a set of matrices is proposed, which can reduce the online computation cost significantly. A numerical example and results of simulation performed on the model of two-mass-spring mechanical system are provided to illustrate the theoretical findings within this article.
MCB: Implementation of the Symbols Project
Authors: Saeed Khawaja Asjad , Shaikh Shazib E.
Published: September 2012

This is a case that facilitates learning about IT-enabled change management. It tracks both the decision to convert to a $1.7 million banking enterprise system and its roll-out between 2002 and 2008. The project was met with resistance by the branches of this major nationwide bank to the point that in 2005 the project team was completely reorganized and a new Senior Vice President (SVP) position was created specifically for the project. The new system would lead to more centralization and integration with faster inter-branch processing as compared to the previous system which granted branches more autonomy in inter-bank transfers and employees only interacted with the system through data operators. Recognizing customers at the bank level and not just at branch level was an important objective. The complete project reorganization allows readers to understand the need to appreciate certain factors that may be deemed as trivial, especially where top-down IT enabled change is being implemented. At the end of the case, the project is still in progress with 818 branches (76 per cent) converted to the new system.
Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables in Malaysia
Authors: Yen Steven T. , Tan Andrew K. G. , Feisul Mustapha I.
Published: September 2012

This study examines the sociodemographic factors associated with daily fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption in Malaysia. Based on a cross-sectional sample of 2447 individuals from the Malaysia Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance-1, a multivariate sample selection system is developed and estimated, to accommodate high frequencies of daily FV consumption and the days of servings among nondaily consumers. Results indicate that the authors’ attempt to account for endogenous sample selectivity and cross-equation correlations is justified. There exist positive correlations between FV consumption likelihoods and longer work hours, higher levels of education, high income, female gender, nonsmoking status, and being from East Malaysia. Among nondaily consumers, those with longer work hours, singles, and people with diabetes are less inclined to eat fruits on more days. Overall, higher-educated, affluent people, nonsmokers, and East Malaysians display more days of FV consumption. Based on these outcomes, several policy implications are recommended vis-à-vis FV consumption patterns in Malaysia.
A novel unmanned aircraft with solid-state control surfaces: Analysis and flight demonstration
Authors: Bilgen Onur , Butt Lauren M , Day Steven R , Sossi Craig A , Weaver Joseph P , Wolek Artur , Mason William H , Inman Daniel J
Published: September 2012

This article presents a completely servo-less, piezoelectric controlled, wind tunnel and flight tested, remotely piloted aircraft that has been developed by the 2010 Virginia Tech Wing Morphing Design Team (a senior design project between the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace and Ocean Engineering). A type of piezocomposite actuator, the Macro-Fiber Composite, is used for changing the camber of all control surfaces on the aircraft. The aircraft is analyzed theoretically for its aerodynamic characteristics to aid the design of the piezoelectric control surfaces. A vortex lattice analysis complemented the database of aerodynamic derivatives used to analyze control response. Steady-state roll rates were measured in a wind tunnel and were compared to a similar aircraft with servomotor actuated control surfaces. The theoretical analysis and wind tunnel testing demonstrated the stability and control authority of the concept, culminating in the first flight of the completely Macro-Fiber Composite controlled aircraft on 29 April 2010. An electric motor-driven propulsion system is used to generate thrust, and all systems are powered with a single lithium polymer battery. This vehicle became the first completely Macro-Fiber Composite controlled, flight tested aircraft. It is also known to be the first fully solid-state piezoelectric material controlled, nontethered, flight tested fixed-wing aircraft.
Energy harvesting using an array of multifunctional resonators
Authors: Mikoshiba Kota , Manimala James M , Sun CT
Published: September 2012

Energy harvesting from structural vibrations using an array of multifunctional resonators based on the theory of locally resonant materials is demonstrated. Such locally resonant structures exhibit a stop band for elastic wave propagation. The band gap frequency range depends on the local resonance frequency of the microstructure. One method to realize this is through the use of an array of embedded resonators where the external work done is stored as kinetic energy of the internal mass when the forcing frequency is close to the local resonance frequency. This mechanism can be used to harvest energy by converting the kinetic energy into electrical energy, thus bestowing a multifunctional utility to the structure. We use a spring-loaded magnet enclosed in a capped poly(methyl methacrylate) tube equipped with copper coils to create a unit cell that acts both as a resonator and as a linear generator. Experiments on a serial array of seven unit cells exhibit a band gap between 146.5 (local resonance frequency) and 171 Hz with a peak voltage generation of 3.03 V at steady state. The continuous effective power generated by a single unit cell across a 1-Ω load resistor is 36 mW, indicating the feasibility of constructing vibration isolation structures that can power simple electronic and microelectromechanical systems devices. The applicability of using the device as a transducer to measure the local resonance frequency and the global resonance frequency of the structure is also discussed.
A polymeric fiber-optic metal profile detector
Authors: Hua Wei-Shu , Hooks Joshua R , Erwin Nicholas A , Wu Wen-Jong , Wang Wei-Chih
Published: September 2012

This is a feasibility study of the design and construction of a metal detector system using a fiber-optic Mach–Zehnder interferometer and a sensor employing a novel polymeric magnetostrictive material. This ferromagnetic polymeric metal detector system is small and easy to fabricate, offering relatively high sensitivity and resistance to the radio frequency interference common in most electromagnetic metal detectors. The metal detection is achieved by disrupting the magnetic flux density that encompasses the magnetostrictive sensor. This article discusses the magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic polymers and the results of detecting metal objects of different shapes and geometries.
Games, Social Simulations, and Data—Integration for Policy Decisions
Authors: Landwehr Peter , Spraragen Marc , Ranganathan Balki , Carley Kathleen M. , Zyda Michael
Published: September 2012

In this article, the authors discuss the development of the SUDAN GAME, an interactive model of the country in the time period leading up to the Sudanese referendum on the secession of the South. While many simulations are designed to educate about their subjects, the SUDAN GAME is intended to be a prototype for policy making via gameplay. It is implemented within COSMOPOLIS, a massively multiplayer online game that is currently undergoing development. In this article, the authors discuss the game’s design and how it can be used for policy development, with a focus on the underlying model and some discussion of the COSMOPOLIS implementation. They situate the game relative to other games that have crowdsourced serious problems and discuss the meaning of the policy solutions and collaboration witnessed along players. They conclude with a discussion of future development to be done to improve and expand upon the concepts used in their game.
Weight and Patients’ Decision to Undergo Cardiac Surgery
Authors: King-Shier Kathryn M. , LeBlanc Pamela , Mather Charles , Sandham Sarah , Seneviratne Cydnee , Maitland Andrew
Published: September 2012

Obese patients are less likely to have cardiac surgery than normal weight patients. This could be due to physician or patient decision-making. We undertook a qualitative descriptive study to explore the influence of obesity on patients’ decision-making to have cardiac surgery. Forty-seven people referred for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery were theoretically sampled. Twelve people had declined cardiac surgery. Participants underwent in-depth interviews aimed at exploring their decision-making process. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Though patients’ weight did not play a role in their decision, their relationship with their cardiologist/surgeon, the rapidity and orchestration of the diagnosis and treatment, appraisal of risks and benefits, previous experience with other illness or others who had cardiac surgery, and openness to other alternatives had an impact. It is possible that there is a lack of comfort or acknowledgment by all parties in discussing the influence of weight on CABG surgery risks.
Seeing and Doing Conservation Differently
Authors: Saunders Fred P.
Published: September 2012

This article argues that conservation agendas need to be informed by a landscape aesthetics that embraces the cultural and material richness of people’s relationship to place to better inform conservation agendas. Historical and contemporary views of landscape aesthetics and their relationship to nature conservation and notions of wilderness need to be included to complement a scientific expert assessment of conservation needs and approaches. Recent examples of conservation projects in Zanzibar are used to reveal how representations and symbols in nature are deeply embedded in biodiversity conservation aspirations and practices promoted by conservation experts. The article posits that an embodied and pluralistic approach to landscape aesthetics can more profoundly contextualize the specificity of interaction between people and between people and their environments and lead to more viable conservation and development outcomes. This would provide a contingent perspective that would to help elucidate nuanced understandings of social relations and place, thereby better serving both conservation and development agendas.
Gene Transfer Therapy by Either Type 1 or Type 2 Adeno-Associated Virus Expressing Human Prostaglandin I2 Synthase Gene is Effective for Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Kataoka Masaharu , Kawakami Takashi , Tamura Yuichi , Yoshino Hideaki , Satoh Toru , Tanabe Tadashi , Fukuda Keiichi
Published: September 2012

Prostaglandin I2 (PGI2) plays an important role in the clinical treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, the administration of PGI2 involves continuous intravenous infusion using an indwelling catheter, which limits the patient’s quality of life and increases the risk of infection. We therefore investigated whether human PGI2 synthase (hPGIS) gene transfer using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector is still effective in a mouse model of PAH and tested for differences in the therapeutic efficacy of PAH among AAV serotypes. The PAH was induced by subjecting mice to hypoxia (10% O2). Type 1 AAV expressing hPGIS (AAV1-hPGIS) or type 2 AAV expressing hPGIS (AAV2-hPGIS) was injected into the thigh muscle of mice. Both vectors expressing hPGIS produced strong hPGIS protein expression in the mouse thigh skeletal muscles after 8 weeks of hypoxia. The administration of AAV1-hPGIS or AAV2-hPGIS also significantly inhibited the hypoxia-induced increase in right ventricular systolic pressure, the ratio of right ventricular weight to body weight (RV/BW), and the ratio of RV weight to left ventricular plus septal weight (RV/LV + S), and significantly attenuated the hypoxia-induced increase in medial wall thickness of peripheral pulmonary arteries. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the degree of amelioration in RV systolic pressure, RV/BW, RV/LV + S, and percentage of wall thickness of peripheral pulmonary arteries between AAV1-hPGIS and AAV2-hPGIS administrations. In conclusion, we revealed that type 1 and type 2 AAV are equally effective for the treatment of PAH in a hypoxia-induced mouse model. Gene-transfer therapy using AAV expressing hPGIS is, therefore, a potential therapeutic breakthrough for PAH.
Upregulation of β3-Adrenergic Receptor Expression in the Atrium of Rats With Chronic Heart Failure
Authors: Zhao Qiang , Zeng Fang , Liu Jiang-Bo , He Yun , Li Biao , Jiang Zuo-Feng , Wu Tong-Guo , Wang Le-Xin
Published: September 2012

Objectives:

To investigate the expression of β3-adrenergic receptor (β3-AR) in the atrium of rats with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Methods:

The heart failure rat model was established by aortic constriction. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were divided into Sham group (n = 10) and heart failure model group (n = 26), which were further divided into CHF control (CHF group) and BRL group. The rats in the BRL group were treated with a selective β3-AR agonist, BRL-37344 (4.0 nmol/kg, twice weekly) for 4 weeks.

Results:

In the BRL group, the left ventricular end-systolic pressure (83.21 ± 13.0 vs 101.50 ± 12.12 mm Hg) and the absolute values of the maximal rate of rise and fall of left ventricular pressure ([±dP/dtmax] 2.81 ± 0.04 vs 0.35 ± 0.04 and −2.72 ± 0.06 vs −3.33 ± 0.06) were lower than in the CHF group ( P < .01). The left atrial mass index (LAMI) in the BRL group (0.4132 ± 0.0306) was higher than that in the CHF (0.3212 ± 0.0136) or Sham group (0.2683 ± 0.0145; P < .01). The levels of the left atrial β3-AR messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the BRL group (0.932 ± 0.055) was higher than that in the CHF (0.706 ± 0.043) or Sham group (0.310 ± 0.020; P < .01). In all animals, there was a positive correlation between the level of β3-AR mRNA expression and the left or right atrial mass index (correlation coefficient ranged from 0.744 to 0.937).

Conclusion:

There is a significant increase in the β3-AR mRNA expression in the atrium of rats with heart failure. The level of β3-AR mRNA expression was associated with the AMI and was enhanced by a selective β3-AR agonist, BRL-37344.
Supporting Rural Family Palliative Caregivers
Authors: Robinson Carole A. , Pesut Barbara , Bottorff Joan L.
Published: September 2012

There is urgent need to effectively support the well-being of rural palliative family caregivers (FCGs). A mixed method study was conducted with 23 FCGs. Data collection included completion of an assessment questionnaire and semistructured interviews. The most prevalent needs identified by questionnaire were caring for the patient’s pain, fatigue, body, and nourishment; FCG’s fatigue and need for respite. Yet few FCGs wanted more attention to these needs by healthcare providers. FCGs resisted considering their own personal needs. Instead, they focused on needs related to providing care including to be(come) a palliative caregiver, be skilled and know more, navigate competing wishes, needs, demands, and priorities, and for “an extra pair of hands.” Gaps in rural palliative services contributed to low expectations for assistance; reluctance to seek assistance was influenced by FCGs’ resourcefulness and independence. Findings suggest that supporting FCGs will most likely be successful when framed in relation to their caregiving role.