bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prehypertension in Pregnancy and Risks of Small for Gestational Age Infant and Stillbirth
Authors: Wikström Anna-Karin , Gunnarsdottir Johanna , Nelander Maria , Simic Marija , Stephansson Olof , Cnattingius Sven
Published: February 2016

It is not fully known whether maternal prehypertension is associated with increased risk of adverse fetal outcomes, and it is debated whether increases in blood pressure during pregnancy influence adverse fetal outcomes. We performed a population-based cohort study in nonhypertensive women with term (≥37 weeks) singleton births (n=157 446). Using normotensive (diastolic blood pressure [DBP] <80 mm Hg) women as reference, we calculated adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals between prehypertension (DBP 80–89 mm Hg) at 36 gestational weeks (late pregnancy) and risks of a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth or stillbirth. We further estimated whether an increase in DBP from early to late pregnancy affected these risks. We found that 11% of the study population had prehypertension in late pregnancy. Prehypertension was associated with increased risks of both SGA birth and stillbirth; adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 1.69 (1.51–1.90) and 1.70 (1.16–2.49), respectively. Risks of SGA birth in term pregnancy increased by 2.0% (95% confidence intervals 1.5–2.8) per each mm Hg rise in DBP from early to late pregnancy, whereas risk of stillbirth was not affected by rise in DBP during pregnancy. We conclude that prehypertension in late pregnancy is associated with increased risks of SGA birth and stillbirth. Risk of SGA birth was also affected by rise in DBT during pregnancy. Our findings provide new insight to the relationship between maternal blood pressure and fetal well-being and suggest that impaired maternal perfusion of the placenta contribute to SGA birth and stillbirth.
Effects of Awareness on the Control of Attention
Authors: Webb Taylor W. , Kean Hope H. , Graziano Michael S. A.
Published: February 2016

Previous studies show that it is possible to attend to a stimulus without awareness of it. Whether attention and awareness are independent or have a specific relationship, however, remains debated. Here, we tested three aspects of visual attention with and without awareness of the visual stimulus. Metacontrast masking rendered participants either subjectively aware or not aware of the stimulus. Attention drawn to the stimulus was measured by using the stimulus as a cue in a spatial attention task. We found that attention was drawn to the stimulus regardless of whether or not people were aware of it. However, attention changed significantly in the absence of awareness in at least three ways. First, attention to a task-relevant stimulus was less stable over time. Second, inhibition of return, the automatic suppression of attention to a task-irrelevant stimulus, was reduced. Third, attention was more driven by the luminance contrast of the stimulus. These findings add to the growing information on the behavior of attention with and without awareness. The findings are also consistent with our recently proposed account of the relationship between attention and awareness. In the attention schema theory, awareness is the internal model of attention. Just as the brain contains a body schema that models the body and helps control the body, so it contains an attention schema that helps control attention. In that theory, in the absence of awareness, the control of attention should suffer in basic ways predictable from dynamical systems theory. The present results confirm some of those predictions.
Material Mediators: Johan Maurits, Textiles, and the Art of Diplomatic Exchange
Authors: Anderson Carrie
Published: February 2016

Although textiles were key facilitators in global diplomacy in the early modern period, there has been little scholarly consideration of the dynamic role they played in shaping diplomatic relationships during a time when textiles of all types from both east and west were circulating actively as wholesale commodities across world markets. This case study addresses this lacuna by examining the role that textiles, including linens, silks, and tapestries, played in mediating the inter- and intra-cultural diplomatic negotiations of Johan Maurits of Nassau-Siegen (1604-1679), the governor-general of Dutch Brazil from 1637 to 1644. As I argue, the production and dissemination of objects such as linens and especially the Old Indies tapestry series, based on designs made under Johan Maurits’s patronage, demonstrate how textiles, in their many forms and formats, were uniquely suited to negotiate the dynamic shifts that characterized cross-cultural diplomacy in the early modern period.
A Peace for a Prince: The Reception of a Safavid Child Hostage at the Ottoman Court
Authors: Casale Sinem
Published: February 2016

The twelve-year long Ottoman-Safavid War ended in 1590, when the newly enthroned Safavid king, Shah ʿAbbas sent his six year old nephew to the Ottoman court as a condition of peace. The arrival of this child prince, Haydar Mirza, his large retinue, and the gifts he brought for the sultan incited much enthusiasm and curiosity among contemporary observers. These were recorded in official histories, archival documents, manuscript paintings, and poems of Ottoman, Safavid, Venetian, and Habsburg origin. Through a cross-reading of authors with diverse political motivations, this essay demonstrates the multiplicity of ways in which the prince’s role as a social agent and mediator was interpreted during and after his transfer. A close comparative reading of these textual accounts and images suggests that the diplomatic encounter and its subtleties may never be described fully by the overarching goals of panegyric texts or selected episodes captured in narrative illustration.
Discovery of a new species of the Cretaceous genus Microphorites Hennig, 1971 (Diptera: Dolichopodidae s. lat.) in Paleogene amber from eastern Moravia (Czech Republic)
Authors: Tkoč Michal , Nel André , Prokop Jakub
Published: February 2016

A new species of the extinct genusMicrophoritesHennig, 1971 (Dolichopodidae s. lat.: Microphorinae) is described from a single female preserved in Študlov amber (Moravia, Czech Republic), currently dated from the Paleocene to the middle Eocene.Microphorites moravicussp. n. has the typical wing venation of the genus, e.g., three radial veins, crossvein r-m, crossvein bm-cu complete, cell dm, two medial veins and vein CuA1. It differs from the other species ofMicrophoritesby the long antenna, with prolonged and laterally compressed first flagellomere and presence of a pterostigma at the fusion of the first radial vein and costa. A comparison ofM. moravicuswith all other species ofMicrophorites, as well as fossil and extant species ofMicrophorMacquart, 1827 is given. The age and source plant of Študlov amber is discussed in terms of newly performed geochemical analyses.
Three new species of Calliceratomyia Lane (Diptera: Ditomyiidae) from Neotropical Mexico
Authors: HUERTA HERON , AMORIM DALTON DE SOUZA
Published: February 2016

Three new species of the ditomyiid genus Calliceratomyia Lane, so far known only from the type-species from southeastern Brazil, are described from Mexico. The new species—Calliceratomyia papaveroi sp. n., Calliceratomyia pantelhomyia sp. n. and Calliceratomyia zayolli sp. n.—are described based on adult males collected with Malaise traps in the States of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Hidalgo, Mexico. The descriptions are illustrated and the diagnosis of the genus is revised.
Clavigeroscydmus Franz, a new junior synonym of Scydmaenus Latreille (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae)
Authors: JAŁOSZYŃSKI PAWEŁ
Published: February 2016

The monospecific genus Clavigeroscydmus Franz, based on a single teneral female collected in Madagascar, was one of the most enigmatic taxa within Scydmaenini. Recent rediscovery of Clavigeroscydmus corticariaeformis Franz, including previously unknown males, made it possible to study morphological structures of this species and to verify its taxonomic placement. Comparative study of the type species of Scydmaenus Latreille and Clavigeroscydmus revealed no differences in any important structures. Consequently, Clavigeroscydmus is placed as a junior synonym of Scydmaenus s. str. Morphological details of the type species of Scydmaenus and Clavigeroscydmus are illustrated and discussed.
Local Elections in Authoritarian Regimes
Authors: Reuter Ora John , Buckley Noah , Shubenkova Alexandra , Garifullina Guzel
Published: February 2016

Why do authoritarian regimes permit elections in some settings but not in others? Focusing on the decision to hold subnational elections, we argue that autocrats can use local elections to assuage powerful subnational elites. When subnational elites control significant political resources, such as local political machines, leaders may need to co-opt them to govern cost-effectively. Elections are an effective tool of co-optation because they provide elites with autonomy and the opportunity to cultivate their own power bases. We test this argument by analyzing variation in the decision to hold mayoral elections in Russia’s 207 largest cities between 2001 and 2012. Our findings suggest that Russian mayoral elections were more likely to be retained in cities where elected mayors sat atop strong political machines. Our findings also illustrate how subnational elections may actually serve to perpetuate authoritarianism by helping to ensure elite loyalty and putting the resources of powerful elites to work for the regime.
Lying or Believing? Measuring Preference Falsification From a Political Purge in China
Authors: Jiang Junyan , Yang Dali L.
Published: February 2016

Despite its wide usage in explaining political dynamics of non-democracies, preference falsification remains an empirical myth for students of authoritarian politics due to the challenge of measurement. We offer the first quantitative study of this phenomenon in a non-democratic setting by exploiting a rare coincidence between a major political purge in Shanghai, China, and the administration of a nationwide survey in 2006. We construct two synthetic measures for expressed and actual political support and track their changes before and after the purge. We find that the purge caused a dramatic increase in expressed support among Shanghai respondents, yet the increase was paralleled by an equally evident decline in actual support. We interpret this divergence as evidence for preference falsification and conduct a number of robustness checks to rule out alternative explanations. We also show that falsification was most intense among groups that had access to alternative information but were vulnerable to political sanctions.
Attitudes towards depression, psychiatric medication and help-seeking intentions amid financial crisis: Findings from Athens area
Authors: Economou Marina , Bergiannaki Joanna Despina , Peppou Lily Evangelia , Karayanni Ismini , Skalkotos George , Patelakis Athanasios , Souliotis Kyriakos , Stefanis Costas
Published: February 2016

Background:

The financial crisis has yielded adverse effects on the population worldwide, as evidenced by elevated rates of major depression. International recommendations for offsetting the mental health impact of the recession highlight the need for effective treatment, including reduction in the stigma attached to the disorder.

Aims:

This study endeavoured to explore lay attitudes to depression and psychiatric medication during a period of financial crisis and to identify their correlates. Furthermore, it investigated their link to help-seeking intentions.

Method:

A random and representative sample of 621 respondents from Athens area participated in the study (Response Rate = 81.7%). The telephone interview schedule consisted of the Personal Stigma Scale, a self-constructed scale tapping attitudes to psychiatric medication and one question addressing help-seeking intentions.

Results:

The preponderant stigmatising belief about depression pertains to perceiving the disorder as a sign of personal weakness. In addition, stereotypes of unpredictability and dangerousness were popular among the sample. Nonetheless, stigmatising beliefs are much stronger with regard to psychiatric medication; perceived as addictive, capable of altering one’s personality, less effective than homeopathic remedies and doing more harm than good. Help-seeking intentions were predicted by education, unemployment and attitudes to psychiatric medication solely.

Conclusion:

Research on the mental health effects of the global recession should encompass studies investigating the stigma attached to mental disorders and its implications.
Understanding Adolescent Narratives About “Bullying” Through an Intersectional Lens: Implications for Youth Mental Health Interventions
Authors: Haines-Saah Rebecca J. , Hilario Carla T. , Jenkins Emily K. , Ng Cara K. Y. , Johnson Joy L.
Published: February 2016

This article is based on findings from a qualitative study with 27 adolescents in northern British Columbia, Canada. Our aim was to explore youths’ perspectives on the sources of emotional distress in their lives and how these are connected to peer-based aggression and victimization within their community. Our analysis of narrative findings suggests that youths’ narratives about bullying reflect intersecting and socially embedded configurations of “race,” neocolonialism, and place. We argue that mainstream approaches to addressing bullying as a relationship-based problem must be re-oriented to account for the role of the social or structural contexts of youths’ lives. By applying an intersectional lens, we make the case for a widening of the focus of interventions away from individual victims and perpetrators, toward a contextual approach that addresses how adolescents experience bullying as a site of health and social inequities in their community.
Home Environment and Parental Involvement in Homework During Adolescence in Catalonia (Spain)
Authors: Mora Toni , Escardíbul Josep-Oriol
Published: February 2016

It is well documented that parental behavior is a strong determinant of a child’s educational achievement and general well-being. Thus, it seems relevant to analyze the determinants of parental involvement in the education of their children. While most studies analyze the effect of family characteristics (such as parents’ education, ethnicity, or family structure) on parental involvement, we focus on the effect of home environment. Specifically, we consider parental assistance in homework during adolescence, which is defined from the children’s perspective. Data come from a unique sample of more than 2,300 students in the last 2 years of compulsory education in 70 schools in Catalonia (Spain). Results show that a good home environment increases the relative probability that parents get involved in their children’s homework. The effect is slightly higher for girls than for boys. The inclusion of home environment leaves no relevance to family structure. Results are robust to different estimation procedures.
Perspective-taking influences autonomic attunement between partners during discussion of conflict
Authors: Nelson Benjamin W. , Laurent Sean M. , Bernstein Rosemary , Laurent Heidemarie K.
Published: February 2016

This study investigated the effects of dispositional and experimentally induced perspective-taking (PT) on physiological attunement between romantic partners during a conflict resolution task. Young adult couples ( N = 103 dyads) rated their trait PT 1 week prior to participating in a conflict resolution session with their romantic partner. Immediately before the conflict task, participants were given one of the following three instructions: to take their partner’s perspective (PT condition), to approach the conflict mindfully (mindfulness condition), or to focus on their own perspective regarding the conflict (control condition). Participants provided four saliva samples over the course of the laboratory session, and the samples were assayed for alpha-amylase to measure autonomic nervous system activity. Multilevel modeling results revealed that couples in the PT condition displayed greater autonomic attunement over the course of the conflict session compared to those in the other conditions. In addition, female partners’ dispositional PT enhanced the effect of the PT induction on couples’ attunement. Furthermore, secondary analyses provided support for the beneficial role of autonomic attunement. Specifically, attunement was decreased by negative conflict behaviors and predicted increased post-conflict negative affect in females. Implications for dyadic functioning and intervention are discussed.
Making a case for universal and targeted children’s occupational therapy in the United Kingdom
Authors: Hutton Eve , Tuppeny Sharon , Hasselbusch Andrea
Published: February 2016

This article makes the case for increasing the reach and the impact of children's occupational therapy in the United Kingdom, through inclusion of universal and targeted services alongside specialist provision. It is proposed that achieving a greater balance between these different levels or tiers of provision can promote the health, well-being and participation of all children, including those with additional needs. During a time of austerity, we argue that a broader offer also distributes finite public resources more effectively – potentially reducing pressure on scarce specialist resources. Sustainable options for meeting greater population need are proposed and occupational therapists are encouraged to evaluate the effect of changing the balance of provision to inform future commissioning.
Geopower
Authors: Donovan Amy
Published: February 2016

This paper discusses disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the context of emerging geographical ideas about topologies and assemblages. It focuses on the role of expert advice in DRR and the resulting political and epistemological issues. The critical geography of disasters still struggles to communicate with persistent scientific technical-rational approaches to hazard assessment. Furthermore, recent studies have shown the potential for expert advice to be (mis)used for political purposes. Assemblage theory might be useful in opening up this hybrid area of research, as it allows a nuanced view of disasters and DRR that can incorporate complex human-environmental relationships and diverse knowledges.
Effective supervisory controllers designed for optimal energy management in permanent magnet synchronous generator wind turbine with battery storage
Authors: Meghni B , Dib D , Mordjaou M , Saadoun A
Published: February 2016

Optimal control of large-scale wind turbine has become a critical issue for the development of renewable energy systems and their integration into the power grid to provide reliable, secure, and efficient electricity. In this article, a new supervisory control system for the optimal management and robust operation of a wind turbine generator and a battery energy storage system is presented. The proposed coordinated controller can mitigate both active and reactive power disturbances due to the intermittency of wind speed and load change. Moreover, the control strategy ensures the maximum power extraction capability of direct-drive wind turbine. This supervisory controller is made up of three subsystems. The first one is used to track the maximum power point for variable wind speeds; the control algorithm employs a fuzzy logic controller and a second-order sliding mode controller to effectively meet this target. The task of the second one is to maintain the required DC-link voltage level. This is achieved by controlling the bidirectional power flow in the storage batteries using DC–DC converter. Whereas in the last, a second-order sliding mode controller is investigated to achieve smooth regulation of grid active and reactive power quantities, which provides better results in terms of attenuation of the harmonics present in the grid courant compared with the conventional first-order sliding mode controller. Extensive simulation studies under different conditions of wind speed are carried out in MATLAB/Simulink, and the results confirm the effectiveness of the new supervisory control system.
Intra-articular Autologous Conditioned Plasma Injections Provide Safe and Efficacious Treatment for Knee Osteoarthritis
Authors: Smith Patrick A.
Published: February 2016

Background:

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections have become an intriguing treatment option for osteoarthritis (OA), particularly OA of the knee. Despite the plethora of PRP-related citations, there is a paucity of high-level evidence that is comparable, cohort specific, dose controlled, injection protocol controlled, and double-blinded.

Purpose:

To determine the safety and efficacy of leukocyte-poor PRP autologous conditioned plasma (ACP) for knee OA treatment through a feasibility trial regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Study Design:

Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods:

In accordance with FDA protocol, patient selection was based on strict inclusion/exclusion criteria; 114 patients were screened, and 30 were ultimately included in the study. These patients were randomized to receive either ACP (n = 15) or saline placebo (n = 15) for a series of 3 weekly injections. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores served as the primary efficacy outcome measure. Patients were followed for 1 year.

Results:

No adverse events were reported for ACP administration. Furthermore, the results demonstrated no statistically significant difference in baseline WOMAC scores between the 2 groups. However, in the ACP group, WOMAC scores at 1 week were significantly decreased compared with baseline scores, and the scores for this group remained significantly lower throughout the study duration. At the study conclusion (12 months), subjects in the ACP group had improved their overall WOMAC scores by 78% from their baseline score, compared with 7% for the placebo group.

Conclusion:

ACP is safe and provides quantifiable benefits for pain relief and functional improvement with regard to knee OA. No adverse events were reported for ACP administration. After 1 year, WOMAC scores for the ACP subjects had improved by 78% from their baseline score, whereas scores for the placebo control group had improved by only 7%. Other joints affected with OA may also benefit from this treatment.
Outcome of a Targeted Nutritional Intervention Among Older Adults With Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease: The Nutrition Intervention Study
Authors: Shatenstein Bryna , Kergoat Marie-Jeanne , Reid Isabelle
Published: February 2016

A 6-month dietary intervention program was designed for community-dwelling older adults with Alzheimer’s disease. Sixty-seven persons aged 70 years and above were recruited with their caregivers from six hospital memory and geriatric outpatient clinics, and allocated to intervention ( n = 34 dyads) or control group ( n = 33 dyads). Usual diet was assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire and current diet by two nonconsecutive diet recalls or records corroborated by caregivers, at recruitment (T1) and exit from the study (T2). Intervention participants received targeted dietary recommendations; control participants received Canada’s Food Guide leaflets. The program was assessed using paired and independent t tests and nonparametric statistics. Fat intakes increased at T2 within intervention participants (54 ± 16 vs. 67 ± 23 g, p = .013), and there was a tendency for higher energy, protein, and calcium intakes at T2 within this group. Proportions with adequate protein intakes almost doubled from T1 to T2 in intervention group women ( p = .028) but decreased in female controls ( p = .030). Longer follow-up is necessary to determine persistence of benefits.
Vocationalism Varies (a Lot)
Authors: Boeren Ellen , Holford John
Published: February 2016

To encourage adult participation in education and training, contemporary policy makers typically encourage education and training provision to have a strongly vocational (employment-related) character, while also stressing individuals’ responsibility for developing their own learning. Adults’ motivation to learn is not, however, purely vocational—it varies substantially, not only between individuals but between populations. This article uses regression analysis to explain motivation among 12,000 learners in formal education and training in 12 European countries. Although vocational motivation is influenced by individual-level characteristics (such as age, gender, education, occupation), it turns out that the country in which the participation takes place is a far stronger explanatory variable. For example, although men’s vocational motivation to participate is higher than women’s in all countries, Eastern European women have significantly higher levels of vocational motivation than men in Western Europe. This supports other research which suggests that, despite globalization, national institutional structures (social, economic) have continuing policy significance.
A dancing agency: Jazz, modern and ballroom dancers in Ireland between 1940 and 1960
Authors: Shanagher Sean
Published: February 2016

Studies of social dance in Ireland between the 1930s and 1950s have generally focused on either the disciplined body of ‘Irish dance’ or on the process of disciplining those who favoured non-traditional dance forms. As a result, important aspects of social dance have been obscured. This article assesses the importance of non-traditional forms such as jazz by foregrounding the agency of its participants. It draws primarily on an ethnography of dance culture in Co. Roscommon. The approach has also been inflected by a reflexive dimension that positions the researcher within the research frame. Drawing on developments in dance anthropology, such reflexivity can operate as a useful epistemological tool that problematises the notion of objective research. The main research findings are (1) that dancers during the period, in the face of considerable opposition from cultural nationalists, participated in the construction of a vibrant, cosmopolitan and transgressive dance culture and (2) that dancing pleasures related to music, ‘communitas’ and ‘flow’ formed a central element of these dancing experiences. By according the voices of dance participants – including that of the researcher – a central place, this article places the emphasis squarely on ‘a dancing agency’.
Arts Stability and Growth Amid Redevelopment in U.S. Shrinking Cities’ Downtowns
Authors: Ganning Joanna P.
Published: February 2016

While the relationship between arts businesses and redevelopment has been studied extensively in world-class cities, it remains understudied in weaker market cities. With tight municipal budgets, shrinking cities cannot afford to not understand both the benefits of the arts for downtown redevelopment and the impact of redevelopment on the arts. Using block-level data for a U.S. shrinking city’s downtown (St. Louis), this study finds that the arts have neither anchored redevelopment nor been driven out of the downtown by redevelopment. The latter finding signals an opportunity for shrinking cities to harness the benefits of the arts in downtown redevelopment.
Optimization of Taguchi’s on-line quality feedback control system
Authors: Zhang Yue-yi , Li Li-xiang , Chen Tai-yi , Song Ming-shun
Published: February 2016

A feedback control system for quality characteristics is one of the most crucial components in Taguchi’s on-line quality management. In this article, three problems in Taguchi’s on-line quality feedback control system are discussed. Furthermore, countermeasures for improving the system are proposed. First, the quality loss of products that are out of control is reestimated by approximating the probability density of their quality characteristic value to a linear distribution. Second, the quality loss of products that are under control is reestimated by approximating the probability density of their quality characteristic value to a normal distribution. Third, the decreased profit resulting from a process shutdown, which is excluded in Taguchi’s on-line quality feedback control system, is considered in calculating the adjustment cost. The management cost and quality loss constitute the total quality cost. In the improved on-line quality feedback control system, the optimal measurement interval and optimal administrative boundary are calculated by minimizing the total quality cost using an iterative method. An example of the adjustment of the administrative boundary and the measurement interval for manufacturing automobile parts is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the improved on-line system.
Experimental study and finite element analysis on the frame of multi-directional forging press
Authors: Wang Wenjie , Lin Feng , Zhang Lei , Wang Xin
Published: February 2016

With the development of multi-directional forging technology, heavy multi-directional forging press has been widely used in manufacturing industry. However, there is a contradiction between the independence of structure and the independence of mechanics, which becomes a bottleneck and limits the development of heavy multi-directional forging press tonnage. For the contradiction, a novel pre-stressed wire-wound orthogonal preload frame structure is proposed in this article to solve the problem, and the stiffness and deformation characteristic of pre-stressed wire-wound orthogonal preload frame structure under three loading states (vertical–horizontal loading, vertical loading and horizontal loading) are analyzed by finite element analysis and the 1:10 model experiment of 400-MN multi-directional forging press whose loading tonnage in the horizontal direction is the largest tonnage in the world. The results show that pre-stressed wire-wound orthogonal preload frame structure has advantages in large stiffness, high strength and excellent integrity under a reasonable preload coefficient. Furthermore, pre-stressed wire-wound orthogonal preload frame structure can satisfy the design requirement for carrying frame of heavy multi-directional forging press and may promote the development of multi-directional forging technology and related equipment industry.
Automotive shape optimization using the radial basis function model based on a parametric surface grid
Authors: Hu Xingjun , Yang Bo , Lei Yulong , Wang Jingyu , Li Xiucheng , Liao Lei , Xu Ting
Published: February 2016

By optimizing the aerodynamic shape parameters, the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle becomes better as the aerodynamic drag decreases. The driving stability also becomes better as the aerodynamic lift decreases. This research presents aerodynamic shape optimization which employs the multi-variable parametric model and the iterative optimal approach to reduce the aerodynamic drag and the aerodynamic lift. For aerodynamic studies with computational fluid dynamics simulations, a parametric surface grid model was used to morph and enhance the mesh quality by linear deformation of the exterior surfaces. This method employed the radial basis function model, and integrated optimization with multi-software provides excellent morphing ability and reasonable optimal designs. In this paper, the process of aerodynamic optimization for a vehicle body is divided into two phases. The first phase is two-dimensional body optimization aimed at a global search, and the second phase aims at a local approximation by running three-dimensional body optimization. The iterative optimal approach can optimize efficiently the aerodynamic characteristics with a reduction in the aerodynamic drag of 13.23% and a marked improvement in the aerodynamic lift. Sensitivity analysis of the design parameters demonstrated that the hood angle is the major factor in the aerodynamic drag coefficient CD. For the aerodynamic lift coefficient CL, the trunk lid angle is the major factor. In addition, the angle of the windshield and the angle of the side window have small influences on CL. The results obtained are accurate reference values for application in automotive engineering.
Retrieval analysis of a failed TriboFit polycarbonate urethane acetabular buffer
Authors: Biant Leela C , Gascoyne Trevor C , Bohm Eric R , Moran Matthew
Published: February 2016

The purpose of this research was to determine the failure mechanisms and damage features of a TriboFit acetabular buffer implanted directly against a native, prepared acetabulum which was revised after 11months. Retrieval analyses were carried out via light microscopy, gravimetric wear assessment, and observer scoring of visible damage features on the buffer. The volume of material abraded from the backside of the buffer was estimated via three-dimensional reconstruction using a laser scanner. Scanning electron microscopy was used to confirm damage features and mechanisms. Severe abrasion to the backside of the buffer was the primary damage feature, while stippling damage was seen on the articular surface of the buffer. Material loss due to backside abrasion was approximated to be between 0.13360.085 g (gravimetric analyses) and 0.19360.053 g (three-dimensional reconstruction). Implantation of the TriboFit buffer against the patient’s native acetabulum without a metal backing allowed for significant movement of the buffer against the bone, resulting in the abrasion seen on this implant. The stippling damage on the articular surface indicates an adhesive wear mechanism which exacerbates movement of the buffer against the acetabulum, thereby increasing backside abrasion.
Terrorism and visibility in Algeria’s ‘black decade’: Des hommes et des dieux (2010)
Authors: Flood Maria
Published: February 2016

This article addresses the audio-visual representation of the victims of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism in Algeria in the 1990s, drawing on both historical and testimonial sources before examining Xavier Beauvois’s Des hommes et des dieux (2010). Based on a true story – the abduction and murder of a group of ex-colonial French monks– it offers a useful platform on which to interrogate the interactions of the representational and the political in relation to terrorism. Critical accounts of contemporary terrorism suggest that there has been a shift in focus from governments and terrorist organisations to an apprehension of the individual victim. However, examinations of the audio-visual can inform terrorism studies, pointing towards representational and socio-political occlusions by illuminating an implicit hierarchy of visibility. Certain lives, generally Western and Christian, are visible and mourned publicly when lost, while others, in this case Algerian, remain without an image.
The spectacle of de Gaulle’s coup d’état: The Situationists on de Gaulle’s coming to power
Authors: Bolt Rasmussen Mikkel
Published: February 2016

This article analyses the Situationists’ reading of the situation in May–June 1958 when Charles de Gaulle came to power in France in the middle of the Algerian civil war, which threatened to tear France apart. The Situationists analysed the dramatic events as a counter-revolution not unlike previous historical events where counter-revolutionary figures like Louis Bonaparte and Franco derailed potentially revolutionary developments. In that regard de Gaulle came to represent the spectacle ( le spectacle) and its blockade of revolutionary energies for the Situationist group. De Gaulle’s extremely conscious staging of himself as the saviour of France and his ability to use the new medium of television presented the Situationists with an example of how the modern capitalist state sought to fix people in a passive situation unable to intervene and take control of their lives.
Jacqueline Duhême, l’imagière des poètes – une vie de rencontres hors pair
Authors: Newland Jane
Published: February 2016

Ayant travaillé aux côtés d’Henri Matisse, de Paul Éluard, de Jacques Prévert et de Maurice Druon, l’envergure des rencontres culturelles de Jacqueline Duhême (1927–) est considérable. Ses images marquent indubitablement la littérature de jeunesse en France depuis l’illustration de son première œuvre de jeunesse de Paul Éluard, Grain d’aile, en 1951. Cet article résume la vie artistique de « l’imagière des poètes » en esquissant ses débuts difficiles, ses rencontres décisives avec Henri Matisse et ensuite Jacques Prévert et son passage chez le journal Elle. Parmi toutes les œuvres illustrées par Duhême, un texte se démarque : son petit album de jeunesse intitulé L’Oiseau philosophie (1997). Cet album carré, qui est le fruit d’une amitié profonde avec le philosophe Gilles Deleuze, réunit les images envoûtantes de Duhême et les extraits de Dialogues et Qu’est-ce que la philosophie ? de Deleuze et donne un aperçu exceptionnel des projets philosophiques deleuziens. Lors d’un entretien gentiment accordé en juillet 2012, Duhême témoigne de cette amitié avec Gilles Deleuze. Nous focalisons dans cet entretien sur cette amitié peu connue et nous mettons en relief ce texte souvent négligé par les chercheurs.
A Concept Map of Campers’ Perceptions of Camp Experience
Authors: Dipeolu Abiola , Cook-Cottone Catherine , Lee Gloria K. , Donnelly James P. , Janikowski Timothy P. , Reynolds Amy L. , Boling Timothy
Published: February 2016

Camp programs are a popular medium for providing children and adolescents with opportunities for growth and development. Specialized camps may provide powerful contextual support for campers with disabilities and families with limited resources, but knowledge of what constitutes an effective camp experience is limited. Further, family counseling practice principles seem relevant to camp programming, but research is absent in this area. Present study applied concept mapping to capture the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of 173 campers’ experiences to examine its implications for the practice of family counseling. Seven thematic concepts emerged consistent with previous research confirming the positive and transformative nature of camp. The current study advances the knowledge base of camp programming for family counselors and helps improve future family counseling practice and research.
Teaching Domestic Violence in the New Millennium
Authors: McQueeney Krista
Published: February 2016

This article describes an intersectional approach to teaching about domestic violence (DV), which aims to empower students as critical thinkers and agents of change by merging theory, service learning, self-reflection, and activism. Three intersectional strategies and techniques for teaching about DV are discussed: promoting difference-consciousness, complicating gender-only power frameworks, and organizing for change. The author argues that to empower future generations to end violence, educators should put intersectionality into action through their use of scholarship, teaching methods, and pedagogical authority. Finally, the benefits and challenges of intersectional pedagogy for social justice education are considered.
The effects of meaning-focused pre-tasks on beginning-level L2 writing in German: An exploratory study
Authors: Abrams Zsuzsanna , Byrd David R.
Published: February 2016

Most studies on task-based language learning focus on the oral performance of advanced level learners of English as a second language (ESL), while little research examines the written performance of beginning language learners in non-ESL contexts. This exploratory study aims to address this gap, by examining the effect of pre-writing tasks on second language (L2) writing among 24 first-semester learners of German. One group completed collaborative, meaning-focused pre-writing tasks, while the comparison group completed grammar-focused activities, also in pairs. In line with task-based language research, learners’ performance was analysed in terms of complexity, accuracy, fluency, and lexical richness, as well as a global measure of quality, to reflect the multi-componential nature of L2 performance. The results suggest that collaborative, meaning-focused pre-writing tasks improved grammatical accuracy and lexical richness, as well as the overall quality of learners’ writing. The findings also offer insights into the effectiveness of using CAF and measures of communicative adequacy for analysing beginning L2 performance.
Variability and variation of L2 grammar: A cross-sectional analysis of German learners’ performance on two tasks
Authors: Abrams Zsuzsanna , Rott Susanne
Published: February 2016

Research on second language (L2) grammar in task-based language learning has yielded inconsistent results regarding the effects of task-complexity, prompting calls for more nuanced analyses of L2 development and task performance. The present cross-sectional study contributes to this discussion by comparing the performance of 245 learners of German at two universities in the USA on two types of assessment tasks using multidimensional analyses of grammatical accuracy, fluency and complexity. Results show that: (1) grammatical accuracy in learner performance did not improve linearly across two years of instruction in either task condition; (2) participants tended to perform more accurately in the integrative task than on discrete-point items; (3) second-year learners wrote more fluently than first-year learners; and (4) fourth-semester learners wrote more complex sentences than other groups. The results yield important research, pedagogical and curricular insights.
Gender difference in effect of positive emotion on consolidation of memory for definitions of English vocabulary
Authors: Wang Bo
Published: February 2016

Research questions:

This study examined gender difference in the effect of post-learning positive emotion on consolidation of memory for definitions of English vocabulary.

Methodology:

A 2 (emotion group: neutral and positive) × 2 (gender: male and female) × 2 (emotion duration: 3 and 9 min) design was used. Participants memorized Chinese definitions of English words, took an immediate test, watched a neutral (lasting for 3 or 9 min) or positive (lasting for 3 or 9 min) video, and took a delayed memory test.

Data and Analysis:

Data of male ( n = 59) and female ( n = 67) participants were analyzed. For evaluation of emotion induction, a 3 (time: before watching, during watching, and after watching) × 2 (emotion group: neutral and positive) × 2 (gender: male and female) × 2 (emotion duration: 3 and 9 min) was respectively conducted on pleasure and arousal ratings. For memory performance, a similar analysis of variance without time as a factor was conducted.

Findings:

With a 3-min duration, positive emotion had little effect on memory consolidation. However, with a 9-min duration, positive emotion tended to impair memory consolidation for males but not for females.

Originality:

Extending the literature showing females’ superiority in memory for words and pictures, this study shows that female students also have memory advantage in English vocabulary. Furthermore, this is the first study suggesting that memory consolidation of male students is more likely to be disrupted by a relatively long duration of positive emotion after learning.

Significance/implications:

The current finding on gender difference may shed new light on employing emotion as a strategy of memory intervention. There seems to be a need to keep males rather than females from post-learning positive emotion, especially when emotion duration is relatively long.
Political Economy of Trade Policy
Authors: Sattar Zaidi , Rahman Ashikur
Published: February 2016

Trade policy within Bangladesh has followed a course of gradual liberalization associated with tariff reduction and rationalization, and removal of protective quantitative restrictions. But the pace of liberalization has varied significantly over different periods depending on the state of the economy or the weight of influence of different actors. To capture this dynamics, in this article, we develop a simple decision theory model to understand how an incumbent government decides upon tariff rationalization strategies. In particular, the role of key stakeholders—consumers, exporters and import substituting industries—is considered, and the collective action issues faced by each group are examined to understand how incumbent governments will respond to their relative influence. Two principle inferences are drawn from this analysis. First, incumbent governments are more likely to facilitate tariff rationalization episodes in times of economic or political crisis. Second, if the economy is not in a state of crisis and consumers suffer from the acutest form of collective action problem, then one can expect that tariff rationalization momentum will be slow or non-existent as long as import substituting industries have equal or more policy clout than exporters. These inferences are then examined in the context of trade policy developments in Bangladesh.
Methods for monitoring scour from large-diameter heat probe tests
Authors: Amirmojahedi Mohsen , Akib Shatirah , Basser Hossein , Ooi CH Raymond
Published: February 2016

Scour is the main cause of bridge failures. Monitoring of bridge scour is an essential method to control the damages caused by flood events. In this study, a large-scale tube consisting of heating and temperature-sensing elements was developed, and its application for detecting saturated soil and water was analyzed. Laboratory experiments confirmed the applicability of the thermal sensor for scour-monitoring purposes. Three methods are proposed in this article for analyzing the data obtained from a heat probe. A linear relationship between temperature increase from the initial to the secondary time and heat production in the probe was observed, and a line that can be used to determine scour was introduced. This method is simple and can be used for low-cost, large-diameter heat probes that are easy to fabricate.
Continuous condition monitoring of reinforced concrete using an active diagnosis method
Authors: Gu Aijun , Luo Ying , Xu Baiqiang
Published: February 2016

In the reinforced concrete structures, the reinforcement such as a steel bar plays an important role in load bearing. The condition monitoring of the steel bars in the concrete is very relevant. An active transmit/receive (pitch–catch) method was employed to assess debond state between the steel bars and concrete. When a wave is excited at one end of a steel bar and received at the other end, it can bring the damage information about the interface of the steel bar and concrete. A set of reinforced concrete beams under flexural loading were carried out, and the pitch–catch monitoring was performed in static, quasi-static, and continuous loading state, respectively. The results show that the amplitude of the receiving wave presents an obvious regularity in each condition. Both the static and quasi-static tests provide a steady state and reflect post-debond states. While the continuous monitoring provides a more comprehensive and more sensitive result, which can reflect the continuous change in debond state. However, the receiving signals in continuous monitoring are faced with the confusion of the acoustic emission signals which come from various damages. By reasonable signal processing, the pitch–catch signals are isolated from a large number of acoustic emission signals. Two distinguishing features of the amplitude curve reflect two critical damages which can provide early warning of civil engineering structures.