bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changing Landscape of Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Bouma Berto J. , Mulder Barbara J.M.
Published: March 2017

Congenital heart disease is the most frequently occurring congenital disorder affecting ≈0.8% of live births. Thanks to great efforts and technical improvements, including the development of cardiopulmonary bypass in the 1950s, large-scale repair in these patients became possible, with subsequent dramatic reduction in morbidity and mortality. The ongoing search for progress and the growing understanding of the cardiovascular system and its pathophysiology refined all aspects of care for these patients. As a consequence, survival further increased over the past decades, and a new group of patients, those who survived congenital heart disease into adulthood, emerged. However, a large range of complications raised at the horizon as arrhythmias, endocarditis, pulmonary hypertension, and heart failure, and the need for additional treatment became clear. Technical solutions were sought in perfection and creation of new surgical techniques by developing catheter-based interventions, with elimination of open heart surgery and new electronic devices enabling, for example, multisite pacing and implantation of internal cardiac defibrillators to prevent sudden death. Over time, many pharmaceutical studies were conducted, changing clinical treatment slowly toward evidence-based care, although results were often limited by low numbers and clinical heterogeneity. More attention has been given to secondary issues like sports participation, pregnancy, work, and social-related difficulties. The relevance of these issues was already recognized in the 1970s when the need for specialized centers with multidisciplinary teams was proclaimed. Finally, research has become incorporated in care. Results of intervention studies and registries increased the knowledge on epidemiology of adults with congenital heart disease and their complications during life, and at the end, several guidelines became easily accessible, guiding physicians to deliver care appropriately. Over the past decades, the landscape of adult congenital heart disease has changed dramatically, which has to be continued in the future.
Fabrication of Synthetic Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Mice
Authors: Luo Lan , Tang Junnan , Nishi Kodai , Yan Chen , Dinh Phuong-Uyen , Cores Jhon , Kudo Takashi , Zhang Jinying , Li Tao-Sheng , Cheng Ke
Published: March 2017

Rationale:

Stem cell therapy faces several challenges. It is difficult to grow, preserve, and transport stem cells before they are administered to the patient. Synthetic analogs for stem cells represent a new approach to overcome these hurdles and hold the potential to revolutionize regenerative medicine.

Objective:

We aim to fabricate synthetic analogs of stem cells and test their therapeutic potential for treatment of acute myocardial infarction in mice.

Methods and Results:

We packaged secreted factors from human bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) into poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microparticles and then coated them with MSC membranes. We named these therapeutic particles synthetic MSC (or synMSC). synMSC exhibited a factor release profile and surface antigens similar to those of genuine MSC. synMSC promoted cardiomyocyte functions and displayed cryopreservation and lyophilization stability in vitro and in vivo. In a mouse model of acute myocardial infarction, direct injection of synMSC promoted angiogenesis and mitigated left ventricle remodeling.

Conclusions:

We successfully fabricated a synMSC therapeutic particle and demonstrated its regenerative potential in mice with acute myocardial infarction. The synMSC strategy may provide novel insight into tissue engineering for treating multiple diseases.
What Is the Evidence That the Tissue Doppler Index E/e′ Reflects Left Ventricular Filling Pressure Changes After Exercise or Pharmacological Intervention for Evaluating Diastolic Function? A Systematic Review
Authors: Sharifov Oleg F. , Gupta Himanshu
Published: March 2017

Background

Noninvasive echocardiographic tissue Doppler assessment (E/e′) in response to exercise or pharmacological intervention has been proposed as a useful parameter to assess left ventricular (
LV
) filling pressure (
LVFP
) and LV diastolic dysfunction. However, the evidence for it is not well summarized.

Methods and Results

Clinical studies that evaluated invasive
LVFP
changes in response to exercise/other interventions and echocardiographic E/e′ were identified from PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. We grouped and evaluated studies that included patients with preserved
LV
ejection fraction (
LVEF
), patients with mixed/reduced
LVEF
, and patients with specific cardiac conditions. Overall, we found 28 studies with 9 studies for preserved
LVEF
, which was our primary interest. Studies had differing methodologies with limited data sets, which precluded quantitative meta‐analysis. We therefore descriptively summarized our findings. Only 2 small studies (N=12 and 10) directly or indirectly support use of E/e′ for assessing
LVFP
changes in preserved
LVEF
. In 7 other studies (cumulative N=429) of preserved
LVEF
, E/e′ was not useful for assessing
LVFP
changes. For mixed/reduced
LVEF
groups or specific cardiac conditions, results similar to preserved
LVEF
were found.

Conclusions

We find that there is insufficient evidence that E/e′ can reliably assess
LVFP
changes in response to exercise or other interventions. We suggest that well‐designed prospective studies should be conducted for further evaluation.
The Police Hack Back: Legitimacy, Necessity and Privacy Implications of The Next Step in Fighting Cybercrime
Authors: Pool R.L.D. , Custers B.H.M.
Published: March 2017

In an attempt to strengthen the position of the police to fight cybercrime, the Dutch government proposed new legislation giving police agencies new investigative powers on the Internet. This proposed legislation is controversial as it allows police agencies to hack into computers and install spyware. This paper examines the background and contents of the proposed legislation and tries to answer the question to what extent these new investigative powers may result in infringements of the right to privacy and other fundamental rights of citizens, and whether these infringements are justified. The framework for this evaluation, mainly based on the European Convention on Human Rights, focuses on the legitimacy and necessity of the proposed investigative powers. The most important considerations are that new investigative powers are introduced while existing powers are not used adequately and that there are serious doubts as to whether these new investigative powers will be effective.
Rehabilitation as a Positive Obligation
Authors: Meijer Sonja
Published: March 2017

Although the emphasis in European penal policy now lies on the rehabilitative aim of imprisonment, the concept of rehabilitation remains vague and is being interpreted differently in different European countries. This paper looks at rehabilitation from a legal perspective and aims to clarify the current meaning and content of the principle of rehabilitation. It does this by focusing on the questions of whether and on what grounds rehabilitation can be considered a positive obligation on the part of the State and, if so, what the consequences are of recognising rehabilitation as a positive obligation.
The Best Laid Plans…: Jesuit Counsel, Peacebuilding, and Disaster on the Chilean Frontier; The Martyrs of Elicura, 1612
Authors: Redden Andrew
Published: March 2017

In a context of ongoing warfare on the Chilean frontier in the first decades of the seventeenth-century, the Society of Jesus and, in particular, Luis de Valdivia (d.1642) labored as both missionaries and peace-brokers between the warring sides. Making peace was an act of mercy highlighted in the Constitutions as well as a necessary pre-condition for evangelization. Nevertheless, in order to develop, champion, and sustain a viable peace process, it was necessary for Valdivia to not just give counsel to the king and the king’s representatives, but effectively become a crown agent with the power to make strategic and highly political decisions. This, of course, flew in the face of the Society’s own prohibitions on engaging in “reason of state” and also antagonized many whose interests lay in the prolongation of war. The following article charts Valdivia’s attempts to balance these spiritual and temporal obligations in the context of the disastrous chain of events that led to the slaughter and enslavement of hundreds of indigenous allies and the killing of three Jesuits at Elicura in 1612. Counsel failed, and the fragile peace-process teetered on the brink of collapse.
Politics, Scholarship, and the Iberian Routes of the Repubic of Letters: The Late Renaissance Itinerary of Vicente Nogueira (1586–1654)
Authors: Montcher Fabien
Published: March 2017

The trajectory of Vicente Nogueira (1586–1654) demonstrates how an Iberian intellectual who was well attuned to the composite governmental structure of the Iberian empire (c.1580–c.1640) strengthened the ties between state communication systems and learned communities during the Late Renaissance. This article highlights the political valence of historical knowledge that was gathered and distributed throughout the Republic of Letters with emphasis on the code-switching of a scholar who styled himself differently across learned communities depending on his political circumstances, interests, and interlocutors. The study of Nogueira’s itinerary demonstrates the need for a history of early modern scholarship that takes into account the ways that early modern politics and state communication systems were connected by learned networks.
Lectotypification of the Linnaean name Centaurea montana (Compositae, Cardueae-Centaureinae)
Authors: ALTİNORDU FAHIM , SUSANNA ALFONSO
Published: March 2017

A lectotype is designated for the Linnaean name Centaurea montana from the original material conserved in the Burser herbarium (UPS).
Climate Models Lack Jet–Rainfall Coupling over West Africa
Authors: Whittleston D. , Nicholson S. E. , Schlosser A. , Entekhabi D.
Published: March 2017

Changes in large-scale dynamics over West Africa—the strength and position of zonal jets—are a key interim step by which local and remote forcing is communicated into changes in rainfall. This study identifies a key mode of jet variability and demonstrates how it is strongly coupled with rainfall. The approach provides a quantitative framework to assess jet–rainfall coupling and a useful tool to investigate the concerning spread in CMIP5 rainfall projections over the West African Sahel. It is shown that many CMIP5 simulations fail to capture this coupling, indicating a fundamental limitation in their ability to predict future rainfall conditions. The results demonstrate that West African rainfall in the coming CMIP6 ensemble should be interpreted with caution; key atmospheric processes that deliver rainfall must be validated before conducting detailed analysis on rainfall.
Correcting Biased Observation Model Error in Data Assimilation
Authors: Berry Tyrus , Harlim John
Published: March 2017

While the formulation of most data assimilation schemes assumes an unbiased observation model error, in real applications model error with nontrivial biases is unavoidable. A practical example is errors in the radiative transfer model (which is used to assimilate satellite measurements) in the presence of clouds. Together with the dynamical model error, the result is that many (in fact 99%) of the cloudy observed measurements are not being used although they may contain useful information. This paper presents a novel nonparametric Bayesian scheme that is able to learn the observation model error distribution and correct the bias in incoming observations. This scheme can be used in tandem with any data assimilation forecasting system. The proposed model error estimator uses nonparametric likelihood functions constructed with data-driven basis functions based on the theory of kernel embeddings of conditional distributions developed in the machine learning community. Numerically, positive results are shown with two examples. The first example is designed to produce a bimodality in the observation model error (typical of “cloudy” observations) by introducing obstructions to the observations that occur randomly in space and time. The second example, which is physically more realistic, is to assimilate cloudy satellite brightness temperature–like quantities, generated from a stochastic multicloud model for tropical convection and a simple radiative transfer model.
A Fully Customized Baseline Removal Framework for Spectroscopic Applications
Authors: Giguere Stephen , Boucher Thomas , Carey C.J. , Mahadevan Sridhar , Dyar M. Darby
Published: March 2017

The task of proper baseline or continuum removal is common to nearly all types of spectroscopy. Its goal is to remove any portion of a signal that is irrelevant to features of interest while preserving any predictive information. Despite the importance of baseline removal, median or guessed default parameters are commonly employed, often using commercially available software supplied with instruments. Several published baseline removal algorithms have been shown to be useful for particular spectroscopic applications but their generalizability is ambiguous. The new Custom Baseline Removal (Custom BLR) method presented here generalizes the problem of baseline removal by combining operations from previously proposed methods to synthesize new correction algorithms. It creates novel methods for each technique, application, and training set, discovering new algorithms that maximize the predictive accuracy of the resulting spectroscopic models. In most cases, these learned methods either match or improve on the performance of the best alternative. Examples of these advantages are shown for three different scenarios: quantification of components in near-infrared spectra of corn and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy data of rocks, and classification/matching of minerals using Raman spectroscopy. Software to implement this optimization is available from the authors. By removing subjectivity from this commonly encountered task, Custom BLR is a significant step toward completely automatic and general baseline removal in spectroscopic and other applications.
A Quantitative Fourier Transform Infrared Study of the Grafting of Aminosilane Layers on Lithium Niobate Surface
Authors: Benmouhoub Chafia , Gauthier-Manuel Bernard , Zegadi Ameur , Robert Laurent
Published: March 2017

Due to its impressive optical properties, lithium niobate (LiNbO3) is considered to be one of the most important ferroelectric materials. Its uses in sensing platforms require functionalization at the surface to enable the capture and quantifying of molecules. The current paper aims to demonstrate the covalent bonding of aminosilane layers to the LiNbO3 surface. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis reveals the presence of an NbO–Si bond observable as a shoulder at the same wavenumber (975 cm−1) on the surfaces of LiNBO3 as well as on those of Nb2O5, using 3-(aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) or 3-(aminopropyl)methyldimethoxysilane (APDMS) precursors. This covalent bonding is confirmed by the insolubility of the silane coating in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). A kinetic study of the aminosilane layer growth obtained by quantitative FT-IR analysis is also carried out.
Social capital in social work disaster preparedness plans: The case of Finland
Authors: Rapeli Merja
Published: March 2017

The aim of this study was to find out what can be learned from Finnish social work preparedness to develop future interventions and use of social capital in disasters. The data consisted of municipalities’ social sector’s disaster preparedness plan documents. Quantitative content analysis was used as the research method. The analysis was based on the concept of social capital and its forms of bonding, bridging, and linking. The results show that micro-level social work and bonding social capital were emphasized. Bridging and linking social work to disaster-related structures should be developed and social capital enhanced pre and post disasters.
Theory-Driven Versus Lexical Approaches to Value Structures
Authors: Schwartz Shalom H.
Published: March 2017

In a recent article, De Raad and colleagues extended their lexical studies of the value vocabularies of single countries. They sought to attain both optimal coverage of the culturally unique values in three different countries and to find the structuring of the value domain that these countries share. The authors largely frame their lexical approach by contrast with the theory-driven approach of Schwartz. They point to presumed problems with the theory-driven approach that the lexical approach might overcome. I discuss and largely dismiss these problems. Moreover, I point to links between the authors’ findings and the Schwartz theory of possible universals in the content and structure of values. I also assess the authors’ success in reaching some of their own goals and suggest future steps that it would be worthwhile for them to undertake.
No Evidence That Substance Use Causes ADHD Symptoms in Adolescence
Authors: Murray Aja Louise , Eisner Manuel , Obsuth Ingrid , Ribeaud Denis
Published: March 2017

There is a robust association between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and elevated substance use. Several plausible causal pathways from ADHD to substance use have been articulated and supported empirically. In this study, we tested the recent suggestion that substance use could also influence levels of ADHD symptoms. Using the three most recent waves of data from the Zurich Project on the Social Development of Children and Youth (z-proso), we found significant and strong cross-lagged effects of ADHD symptoms on substance use but no significant effects in the opposite direction. This suggests that individual differences in substance use are not related to increases in ADHD symptoms in adolescence. Adolescent-onset symptoms of ADHD are thus unlikely to be caused by substance use, and targeting substance use problems is unlikely to reduce ADHD symptoms.
The effect of three-layer weft knitted material structure and composition upon performance properties
Authors: Busilienė Gita , Strazdienė Eugenija , Urbelis Virginijus Vytautas , Krauledas Sigitas
Published: March 2017

The effect of three-layer weft knitted spacer material content and structure upon the characteristics of uniaxial tension, biaxial punching before and after fatigue punching, and at multi cycle low-stress (wearing level) punching were investigated. Three different spacer structures were knitted using four types of the same 20 tex linear density spun yarns. For three-layer weft knitted samples, innovative fibers, which are used in the production of functional clothing, were selected: Coolplus® 100% polyester (PES); Trevira CS® 100% PES; 60% PES; 40%PES, 60% PES with 0.02% carbon fiber and 67% cotton, 33% PES with 0.02% carbon fiber. It was defined that the samples, which have a plain jersey knitting pattern in the face and back layers, and a similar position of spacer yarns on the dial and cylinder needles, have the highest values of mass per unit area, but 1 × 1 tuck stitches in the face layer have a greater effect for material thickness. Besides, 1 × 1 tuck stitches in the face layer have a greater effect upon the uniaxial behavior and anisotropy of three-layer weft knitted spacer materials than on spacer yarn position in the connecting layer. The investigations of biaxial fatigue punching up to 50 N, which corresponds to wearing conditions, showed that the most stable and less deformable materials were the three-layer weft knitted spacer materials with a plain jersey knitting pattern in the face and back layers and a similar position of spacer yarns on the dial and cylinder needles. They also were characterized by the highest mass per unit area and medium thickness.
Out of one prison, into another? Comments on Rosenberg
Authors: Thaddeus Jackson Patrick
Published: March 2017

This intervention, while highlighting points of agreement with Rosenberg’s arguments, also challenges Rosenberg’s characterization of the discipline. Specifically, this short intervention takes issue with the image of the field as International Relations as a discipline and multiplicity as its proposed core notion.
The United States and Latin America in the Trans-Pacific Partnership: Renewing Hegemony in a Post–Washington Consensus Hemisphere?
Authors: Biegon Rubrick
Published: March 2017

The nascent Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement puts the United States at the center of an expanding liberalization regime connecting the Americas to the Asia-Pacific region. U.S. power is bound up with the globalization of Latin America’s political economy, and the TPP is indicative of U.S. efforts to renew its hegemony in the region. It reinforces the importance of “free trade” on the post–Washington Consensus agenda, undercutting existing Latin American–led approaches to integration while responding to China’s growing influence in the hemisphere. As the free-trade consensus is reconstructed through the TPP process, U.S. hegemony in the Americas is potentially extended even as it continues to face challenges in the structural, institutional, and ideological dimensions of intrahemispheric affairs.

El naciente Acuerdo Transpacífico de Cooperación Económica (TPP) coloca a Estados Unidos al centro de un régimen de liberalización en expansión que conecta a las Américas con la región Asia-Pacífico. El poder estadunidense está vinculado a la globalización de la economía política latinoamericana, y el TPP es indicativo de los esfuerzos de Estados Unidos por renovar su hegemonía en la región. Refuerza la importancia del “libre comercio” en la agenda establecida después del Consenso de Washington, socavando los intentos latinoamericanos de integración regional mientras responde a la creciente influencia de China en el hemisferio. La hegemonía estadunidense crece potencialmente en el continente americano conforme se reconstruye un consenso de libre comercio a través del proceso del TPP. Al mismo tiempo, continúa afrontando retos estructurales, institucionales e ideológicos en las relaciones intrahemisféricas.
The Transition to Entrepreneurial Governance in a Middle-Sized Ecuadorian City
Authors: Prada-Trigo José
Published: March 2017

A key issue in territorial studies in recent years has been the transition in urban governance from managerialism to entrepreneurialism. North American and European cities were pioneers in this transition, and Latin American metropolises adapted their postulates to a different reality. Middle-sized cities in the region seem to have copied the intervention models of the nearest metropolis, uncritically applying them to a context characterized by important urban and social deficiencies and low standards of urban governance. The result has been a transition from no management to urban entrepreneurialism. In the case of one middle-sized city, this model has generated “islands of investment” attractive to foreign capital without resolving such long-standing problems as poverty, inequality, underemployment, and scarcity.

Un factor clave en los estudios territoriales de los últimos años ha sido la transición, en el rubro de la gestión urbana, de la gestión misma al emprendimiento. Las ciudades europeas y norteamericanas sentaron las bases de esta transición, mientras que las metrópolis de América Latina adaptaron sus postulados a una realidad distinta. Las ciudades medianas de la región parecen haber copiado los modelos de intervención de las metrópolis más cercanas sin ningún sentido crítico, implementándolas en un contexto de deficiencias sociales y urbanas significativas, así como bajos estándares de gestión urbana. El resultado ha sido una transición de la ausencia de gestión a un modelo de emprendimiento urbano. En el caso de una ciudad mediana, este modelo ha generado “islas de inversión” que atraen capital extranjero sin resolver antiguos problemas como la pobreza, la desigualdad, el subempleo y la escasez.
Preparation of an elastomer with broad damping temperature range based on EPDM/ENR blend
Authors: Lu Xun , Huang Ruili , Li Hanmo , Long Juan , Jiang Zhijie
Published: March 2017

The special immiscible elastomer blends with broad damping temperature range derived from ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber (EPDM) and epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) (the extent of epoxidation is 50%, ENR-50) were prepared and characterized by different techniques. Dynamic mechanical analysis results showed two not only separate but expanded loss peaks of EPDM/ENR-50 blends compared with their pure component; transmission electron microscope analysis and scanning electron microscope analysis confirmed the immiscibility of this binary blends; energy dispersive spectrometer analysis revealed a distribution shift of sulfur (vulcanizer) in the two components before and after vulcanization, and atomic force microscopy analysis indicated a variation of two phases’ modulus when compared with their pure component, which deeply proved the migration of vulcanizer in this immiscible blends. For further improvement of its damping properties, ENRs (extent of epoxidation, 40 and 25%) were added into the binary blend, resulting in a high damping (tan δ > 0.3) EPDM/ENRs elastomer with a broad damping temperature ranges from −80.2°C to 40.3°C.
Detailed comparison of compatibilizers MAPE and SEBS-g-MA on the mechanical/thermal properties, and morphology in ternary blend of recycled PET/HDPE/MAPE and recycled PET/HDPE/SEBS-g-MA
Authors: Taghavi Sayed Kamal , Shahrajabian Hamzeh , Hosseini Hamid Mohammad
Published: March 2017

In this study, for recycling polyethylene terephthalate, a blend of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with maleic anhydride polyethylene (MAPE) and maleic anhydride-grafted styrene–ethylene/butylene–styrene (SEBS-g-MA) were used. The effect of compatibilizers in RPET was investigated by mechanical test (tensile and flexural tests), thermal test (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)), and melt flow index test. The morphology of fracture surface of samples was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical tests showed that elongation at break point and the fracture energy of samples with composition of RPET (70 wt%)/HDPE (15 wt%)/MAPE (15 wt%) and RPET (75 wt%)/HDPE (10 wt%)/SEBS-g-MA (15 wt%) increased significantly. Results of DSC test and SEM photography showed that ternary blend of RPET/HDPE/MAPE has better compatibility compared with RPET/HDPE/SEBS-g-MA. SEM images showed that MAPE provides better bonding between RPET and HDPE compared with SEBS-g-MA. MAPE was dispersed in RPET better than SEBS-g-MA.
The Colors of Loisaida: Embedding Murals in Community Activism
Authors: Schrader Timo
Published: March 2017

This article delves into an overlooked ingredient in community activism between the period of the Great Society and Reaganomics. In the midst of the shift from housing disinvestment to gentrification, communities across the United States sought out any means necessary to fight forced displacement. The community mural was one of the most creative tools activists employed to claim their stake in a neighborhood. This article demonstrates how these community murals were deeply embedded within activist projects, not simply as an afterthought but as a crucial catalyst to provoke action among the residents of a neighborhood, especially its young people. Loisaida (Spanglish for Lower East Side) was a pioneering neighborhood where activists democratized art as a means to politicize neighborhood space and organize an entire community. As murals play important roles for struggling communities across the world now, this article traces their role in community activism back to the U.S. mural movement.
Particle swarm optimization-based empirical mode decomposition–kernel independent component analysis joint approach for diagnosing wind turbine gearbox with multiple faults
Authors: Yang Qian , Yang Qiang , Huang Miaoying , Yan Wenjun
Published: March 2017

Under-determined blind source separation (BSS) of nonlinear mixed signals in multiple-fault detection of wind turbine gearbox has been considered a challenging issue for years. The paper addresses this problem and presents an efficient solution through a combination of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and kernel independent component analysis (KICA) methods. The nonlinear mixture signals are firstly decomposed into a set of intrinsic mode function (IMF) components using EMD, which can be combined with the original observed signals to construct a set of new signals. Thus, the original problem can be effectively transformed into a problem of over-determined BSS, which can be solved by the use of KICA. The adoption of particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm can further enhance the performance of the EMD–KICA solution. The proposed solution is assessed through a set of simulation experiments and the numerical results demonstrate its effectiveness.
Composite disturbance rejection control for hydraulic classification
Authors: Niu Dan , Chen Xisong , Wang Xiaojun , Zhou Xingpeng
Published: March 2017

In the hydraulic classification, precise control for the flow rate of overflow water is vital to guarantee the uniformity and stability of the powder product size. Usually the multiple overflow tanks are supplied by a shared overflow pipeline, which gives rise to large coupling effects in the controls for the flow rates of multiple overflow tanks simultaneously. To solve this issue, it is necessary to keep the water pressure in the shared overflow pipeline accurately constant, which is not easy due to strong disturbances. Several control strategies have been proposed to control the constant water pressure. However, most of them (such as proportional-integral-derivative and model predictive control) reject disturbances just through feedback regulation and do not reject disturbances directly. This may cause poor control performances in the presence of strong disturbances. For improving the disturbance rejection performance, a control scheme based on proportional-integral-derivatives and disturbance observer is put forward in this paper. The scheme employs disturbance observer as feedforward compensation and a proportional-integral-derivative controller as feedback regulation. The disturbance rejection properties under both model mismatches and external disturbances are discussed. The test results illustrate that the proposed method can remarkably improve the disturbance attenuation property compared with the conventional proportional-integral-derivative method in the hydraulic classification process.
Sex Unleashes Your Tongue: Sexual Priming Motivates Self-Disclosure to a New Acquaintance and Interest in Future Interactions
Authors: Birnbaum Gurit E. , Mizrahi Moran , Kaplan Ayelet , Kadosh Danielle , Kariv Dana , Tabib Danielle , Ziv Daniella , Sadeh Lihi , Burban Daniella
Published: March 2017

Research has demonstrated the contribution of sexual activity to the quality of ongoing relationships. Nevertheless, less attention has been given to how activation of the sexual system affects relationship-initiation processes. Three studies used complementary methodologies to examine the effect of sexual priming on self-disclosure, a relationship-promoting behavior. In Study 1, participants were subliminally exposed to sexual stimuli (vs. neutral stimuli), and then disclosed over Instant Messenger a personal event to an opposite-sex stranger. Results showed that merely thinking about sex, even without being aware of it, encouraged self-disclosure. Study 2 replicated these findings in relatively naturalistic conditions (live face-to-face interactions following supraliminal video priming). Study 3 extended these findings, indicating that sexual priming facilitated self-disclosure, which, in turn, increased interest in future interactions with the stranger. Together, these findings suggest that activation of the sexual system encourages the use of strategies that allow people to become closer to potential partners.
The role of oxidative stress, inflammation and acetaminophen exposure from birth to early childhood in the induction of autism
Authors: Parker William , Hornik Chi Dang , Bilbo Staci , Holzknecht Zoie E. , Gentry Lauren , Rao Rasika , Lin Shu S. , Herbert Martha R. , Nevison Cynthia D.
Published: March 2017

The wide range of factors associated with the induction of autism is invariably linked with either inflammation or oxidative stress, and sometimes both. The use of acetaminophen in babies and young children may be much more strongly associated with autism than its use during pregnancy, perhaps because of well-known deficiencies in the metabolic breakdown of pharmaceuticals during early development. Thus, one explanation for the increased prevalence of autism is that increased exposure to acetaminophen, exacerbated by inflammation and oxidative stress, is neurotoxic in babies and small children. This view mandates extreme urgency in probing the long-term effects of acetaminophen use in babies and the possibility that many cases of infantile autism may actually be induced by acetaminophen exposure shortly after birth.
Furthering Prostration in the Hebrew Bible: A Non-Denotative Analysis of hištaḥăwah
Authors: Smith Andrew C.
Published: March 2017

This article provides a non-denotative analysis of the Hebrew word for prostration in the Old Testament, hištaḥăwah. It does so in order to better grasp the discursive situating of prostration as a ritual within the socio-religious contexts and conceptions of biblical authors and peoples. The analysis of hištaḥăwah proceeds along non-denotative lines, specifically analyzing its usage as per its connotative attribution, its grammatical subjects and number (communal versus individual), and its directedness. This study shows that the usage of hištaḥăwah must be understood as a variegated literary term representing a ritualized action that originally was seen and understood multivalently. However, the aggregate usage of the term indicates continuities of understanding as well as changes due to historical circumstances and uses. Such measures give greater insight into experiential aspects of Israelite religious practice, as well as providing insight into the discursive norms that structured Israelite society and worldview during different periods
We Know the Yin—But Where Is the Yang? Toward a Balanced Approach on Common Source Bias in Public Administration Scholarship
Authors: George Bert , Pandey Sanjay K.
Published: March 2017

Surveys have long been a dominant instrument for data collection in public administration. However, it has become widely accepted in the last decade that the usage of a self-reported instrument to measure both the independent and dependent variables results in common source bias (CSB). In turn, CSB is argued to inflate correlations between variables, resulting in biased findings. Subsequently, a narrow blinkered approach on the usage of surveys as single data source has emerged. In this article, we argue that this approach has resulted in an unbalanced perspective on CSB. We argue that claims on CSB are exaggerated, draw upon selective evidence, and project what should be tentative inferences as certainty over large domains of inquiry. We also discuss the perceptual nature of some variables and measurement validity concerns in using archival data. In conclusion, we present a flowchart that public administration scholars can use to analyze CSB concerns.
Bullshit as a Problem of Social Epistemology
Authors: Wakeham Joshua
Published: March 2017

Bullshit is a widely recognized problem. While philosophy has given the topic some consideration, the analysis it offers is limited by an individualistic understanding of knowledge and epistemology. This article reframes bullshit as a problem of social epistemology, drawing on philosophical work on social epistemology as well as related research in psychology and the sociology of knowledge to explore the problem of epistemic vigilance. The article then draws on interactional sociology as well as Glaeser’s recent work on understanding and institutions to delineate those social forces that undermine the task of epistemic vigilance. The article then examines several different types of bullshit in light of this tension between the individual pragmatic need to have true beliefs and the social pragmatic need to get along.
The Clean Shirt: A Flicker of Hope in Despair
Authors: Ellis Carolyn , Rawicki Jerry
Published: March 2017

As a young Jewish boy during the Holocaust, Jerry Rawicki was a courier for the Polish Underground in the Warsaw Ghetto. The Nazis murdered his father Abram, mother Sophie, and sister Stephanie. Passing as a Gentile, his surviving sister Fela worked in a coffee shop in Warsaw. Under the cover of groups leaving for hard labor outside the Ghetto, Jerry was able to surreptitiously steal away and attend to his assignments on the Polish side. Within the Ghetto, people were dying from dysentery, typhus, and starvation. Deportations were rampant and ominous rumors that death camps were the destinations, no matter how unbelievable, in time became a horrific reality. In January 1943, the Germans staged an action on a scale that foretold a total destruction of Jews in the Ghetto. The inhabitants’ refusal to obey orders to vacate their apartments stunned the Germans. Armed resistance, mostly skirmishes, forced the Germans to back off, but the euphoria of prevailing over the Germans did not last long. On the night of April 18, 1943, during Passover, the Germans came back with fury. The armed resistance, this time more organized, held off the onslaught for over a week. But the fighters could not match the German firepower that turned the Warsaw Ghetto into a burning inferno. This story describes Jerry’s actions on that night, at the age of fifteen, and afterwards, when he found hope in the midst of despair.
Ternary NR/BR/SBR rubber blend nanocomposites
Authors: Jovanović Slaviša , Samaržija-Jovanović Suzana , Marković Gordana , Jovanović Vojislav , Adamović Tijana , Marinović-Cincović Milena
Published: March 2017

The goal of this work was to synthesize and characterize ternary rubber blends based on polyisoprene (natural rubber (NR)), polybutadiene rubber (BR), and styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) (NR/BR/SBR = 25/25/50) reinforced with different loading silica (SiO2) nanoparticles (0–100 part per hundred parts of rubber (phr)). The specimens were subjected to thermooxidative aging at 100°C, for two times: at 72 and 168 h, respectively, and then mechanically stretched to fracture by tension with a Zwick 1425 (Zwick GmbH, Ulm, Germany) universal tensile testing machine. Rheological and mechanical properties were used as characterization of the ternary rubber blends. The reinforcing performance of the filler was investigated using rheometric, mechanical, and swelling measurements, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance. Hardness, tensile strength, elongation at break, and swelling degree were assessed before and after thermal aging. There was a remarkable decrease in the optimum cure time ( tc90) and the scorch time ( ts2), which was associated with a decrease in the cure rate index of (NR/BR/SBR = 25/25/50) ternary rubber blend with 60 phr of filler loading. Interaction between rubber blend and SiO2 nano-filler is confirmed by moving absorption band from 1450 cm−1 to 1480 cm−1.
Synthesis of novel conjugated polymers comprising modified cyclopentadithiophene units in the main chain
Authors: Kostianovskii Vladislav A , Susarova Diana K , Troshin Pavel A
Published: March 2017

We have synthesized novel copolymers P1–P3 comprising fluorene units alternating with cyclopentadithiophene fragments modified at the bridge positions with cyanovinyl or imine groups. Optoelectronic properties of the polymers were investigated in solution and in solid films. A potential of using these materials in organic electronics was considered.
Design and characteristic analysis of an aerostatic decoupling table for microelectronic packaging
Authors: Liang Cunman , Wang Fujun , Yang Qingguo , Tian Yanling , Zhao Xingyu , Zhang Dawei
Published: March 2017

This paper presents a novel 2-DOF XY table with high-precision positioning to improve the efficiency and precision of micro-electro-mechanical system packaging. The XY table, which is supported by aerostatic bearings to realize high-precision positioning motion, is directly driven by two linear voice coil actuators. The motion decoupling between the X-and Y-axes is realized through a novel aerostatic decoupling mechanism, by which the mass and inertia of motion parts are reduced significantly. The mechanical structure of the XY table is designed and the decoupling mechanism is studied. Based on the Navier–Stokes equation, the influences of orifice diameter and lubrication gap on the carrying capacity as well the static stiffness of the aerostatic bearings are analyzed. The parameters of the aerostatic bearings are determined by single factor method. Using the finite element method, the static, modal, and transient analyses of the developed positioning table are carried out to investigate the characteristics of the positioning table. The results show that the positioning table provides good performance and can also provide important information for the optimization design and control of this kind of the positioning table.
Preoperative optimization of the surgical robot considering internal diversity of workspace
Authors: Yan Zhiyuan , Du Zhijiang , Zhang Fan , Wang Weidong
Published: March 2017

Surgical robots have increased in popularity, and their performance is closely related to the robotic positioning before surgery. Many recent studies in preoperative planning have focused on the pose selection of the robot and the port placement. However, it is difficult to position the surgical robot simply based on experience. To solve this problem, the surgical workspace is subdivided into several subspaces with different weights. Global isotropy index and cooperation capability index are proposed to reflect the performance of the surgical robot and used as optimization functions. Particle swarm optimization is used to optimize the setup parameters. Based on different weight distributions, setup parameters can be automatically given and sent to the simulation system to display the setup and guide the robot positioning. The results show that the setup optimization considering the internal diversity of workspace is capable of satisfying the detailed requirements of robotic surgery and effectively guide the robotic surgery setup.
Price Behaviour Around Dividend Announcements in the Indian Equity Market in the Existence of Corporate Dividend Tax
Authors: Chatterjee Chanchal , Dutta Paromita
Published: March 2017

This article empirically examines the price behaviour around cash dividend announcements of the firms listed on the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) in order to understand whether dividend announcements really influence stock returns in the market and carry meaningful information to the investors in the existence of corporate dividend tax. The article uses standard ‘event study’ methodology based on market model on a sample of 210 dividend announcements. Subsample analysis is employed for further analysis of firms of different categories. The study finds that cash dividend announcements do not necessarily generate abnormal stock returns in an emerging market, such as India. The whole sample is further divided into various subsamples on the basis of firm size and the size of payout ratio. The study finds that large payout firms experience greater stock returns compared to the smaller payout firms just after the dividend announcements. However, stock returns following dividend announcements do not vary across firm size.

This article provides evidence to the managers about the non-linkage between cash dividend announcements and stock returns in an emerging market like India. This finding is contrary to the findings of many other studies that are based on the data of the developed economies.
Digital labour and development: impacts of global digital labour platforms and the gig economy on worker livelihoods
Authors: Graham Mark , Hjorth Isis , Lehdonvirta Vili
Published: March 2017

As ever more policy-makers, governments and organisations turn to the gig economy and digital labour as an economic development strategy to bring jobs to places that need them, it becomes important to understand better how this might influence the livelihoods of workers. Drawing on a multi-year study with digital workers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-east Asia, this article highlights four key concerns for workers: bargaining power, economic inclusion, intermediated value chains, and upgrading. The article shows that although there are important and tangible benefits for a range of workers, there are also a range of risks and costs that unduly affect the livelihoods of digital workers. Building on those concerns, it then concludes with a reflection on four broad strategies – certification schemes, organising digital workers, regulatory strategies and democratic control of online labour platforms – that could be employed to improve conditions and livelihoods for digital workers.
Assessing Gaming Simulation Validity for Training Traffic Controllers
Authors: van Lankveld G. , Sehic E. , Lo J. C. , Meijer S. A.
Published: March 2017

Background. The Dutch railway company ProRail is performing large-scale capacity upgrades to their infrastructure network. As part of these upgrades, ProRail uses gaming simulations to help prepare train traffic controllers for new infrastructure situations. Researching the validity of these gaming simulations is essential, since the conclusions drawn from gaming simulation use may result in decisions with large financial and social impact for ProRail and Dutch train passengers.

Aim. In this article, we aim to investigate the validity of the gaming simulations for training traffic controllers for new situations in rail infrastructure. We also aim to contribute to the discussion on the minimum level of fidelity required to develop and conduct gaming simulations in a valid way.

Method. We investigate the validity by using training sessions in conjunction with questionnaires. We based the approach and questionnaires on the earlier work of Raser.

Results. Our results show that the validity of the gaming simulation ranges from medium to good. They also show that while the fidelity of the gaming simulation is not like the real-world operating conditions, this does not reduce validity to low levels.

Conclusions. We conclude that the gaming simulation used in this study was of medium to good validity. We also conclude that maximum fidelity is not required in order to run a valid gaming simulation session.
Evaluation and the Framing of Race
Authors: House Ernest R.
Published: March 2017

Racial framing can have strong effects on programs, policies, and even evaluations. Racial framing developed as a justification for the exploitation of minorities and has been a primary causal factor in the persistence of racism. By being aware of its pattern, structure, origins, and how racial framing generates effects, we can significantly reduce its influence, thus enhancing the rigor of our studies by controlling for a potential bias that’s often covert. Stories play a critical role in framing and reframing processes. They constitute a key part of the vocabulary of action.