bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An impact dynamics model and sequential optimization to generate impact motions for a humanoid robot
Authors: Konno Atsushi , Myojin Tomoya , Matsumoto Takaaki , Tsujita Teppei , Uchiyama Masaru
Published: July 2011

When a human needs to generate a large force, they will try to apply an impulsive force with dynamic cooperation of the whole body. In this paper we first discuss impact dynamics of humanoid robots and then propose a way to generate impact motions for a humanoid robot to exert a large force while keeping a balance. In the impact motion generation, Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) is used to solve a non-linear programming problem in which an objective function and constraints may be non-linear functions of the motion parameters. Impact motions are generated using SQP so that the impact force is maximized while the angular momentum is minimized. Breaking wooden boards with a Karate chop is taken as a case study because it is a typical example of tasks that utilize impulsive force. A humanoid robot motion for the Karate chop is generated by the proposed method. In order to validate the designed motion, experiments are carried out using a small humanoid robot Fujitsu HOAP-2. The Karate-chop motion generated by the proposed method is compared with the motion designed by a human. The results of breaking the wooden boards experiments clearly show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Humanitarian Governance and Ethical Cultivation: Médecins sans Frontières and the Advent of the Expert-Witness
Authors: Givoni Michal
Published: July 2011

This article seeks to analyse contemporary humanitarianism as an advanced-liberal formation of global governance. It tracks the emergence in the 1970s of the French humanitarian organisation Médecins sans Frontières and shows that its care for and control of distant victims has been commingled with and dependent upon care for Western selves. The article contends that humanitarianism ‘without borders’ was the outgrowth of the legitimacy crisis of the medical profession, and that its practice of witnessing has ultimately been a mode of ethical self-cultivation by means of which physicians could fashion themselves as more enlightened personae. It further shows that the recent concern with the detrimental side effects of humanitarian action should be deciphered as the culmination of the practices of the self in which global humanitarianism has been embedded since the 1970s.
Digital Power in World Politics: Databases, Panopticons and Erwin Cuntz
Authors: Teboho Ansorge Josef
Published: July 2011

The nature of political power has changed with the advent of modern information technology while our theories and metaphors to understand it remain wedded to earlier periods. This article begins with a discussion of some of the work done by databases in domestic and world politics. In particular, it introduces the political effects of contemporary data-management practices through short examples of terrorist information databases, the 2008 Obama campaign’s database, as well as biometric databases deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Liberia. This leads to a consideration of the finite applicability and relevance of the widespread metaphor of the Panopticon to these kinds of cases. Given the limitations of such an image, the concept of digital power and the political metaphor of Cuntz’s Tower are proposed. Digital power foregrounds the importance of machines for contemporary sovereignty while moving beyond ocular-centric notions of surveillance. Cuntz’s Tower illustrates the power of identification and sorting in addition to the Panopticon’s emphasis on self-discipline. This article acts as an initial ground-clearing exercise for more extensive analyses of databases in domestic and world politics.
The Limitations of the Critical Edge: Reflections on Critical and Philosophical IR Scholarship Today
Authors: Kurki Milja
Published: July 2011

The crisis of 2009 has not proved to be a great impetus for new critical redirection of political and economic thinking in the West: both politico-economic structures in the West and the models of development and democratisation at the heart of Western foreign policy agendas remain much the same. This is despite the continued efforts of critical and philosophical IR theorists to push ‘critical thinking’ and ‘alternative agendas’ in world politics. Why the dismal ‘real-world’ failure of critical and philosophical IR research? This piece reflects on the trends towards depoliticisation, fragmentation and de-concretisation of critical and philosophical IR research and suggests some potential ways forward in reorienting critical and philosophical research in the field.
Clinical and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Results of Arthroscopic Full-Layer Repair of Bursal-Side Partial-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears
Authors: Koh Kyoung Hwan , Shon Min Soo , Lim Tae Kang , Yoo Jae Chul
Published: July 2011

Background

Partial rotator cuff tears are being diagnosed more often because of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Articular-side partial tears are much more common than bursal-side tears, and all-inside or PASTA repairs that preserve the bursal tissue have gained popularity. In contrast, there have been few reports about preserving the articular tissue during bursal tear repair.

Purpose

To report clinical and radiological results of bursal-side partial-thickness rotator cuff tear (PTRCT) repair with preservation of as much of the intact articular-side tendon as possible.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

From May 2006 to March 2008, 109 patients with PTRCT underwent arthroscopic repair. Among them, 38 consecutive patients who received a full-layer repair on the bursal side for greater than 50% thickness PTRCT were retrospectively evaluated. All repairs were performed with a technique that preserved intact articular fibers. To assess the outcome, pain visual analog scale (PVAS), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon (ASES) score, and Constant score were evaluated at final follow-up. Postoperative MRI at least 6 months after surgery was evaluated for repair integrity.

Results

All 38 patients (21 men and 17 women) were available for final follow-up. The mean age at surgery was 50.8 years (range, 30-58 years), and the mean follow-up time was 26.9 months (range, 24-41 months). There were 21 right shoulders and 17 left shoulders, for which the mean time from the onset of symptoms to surgery was 47.0 months (±83.3 months). The PVAS improved from 5.2 (±2.5) to 1.6 (±1.5), and mean ASES and Constant scores improved from 53.1 (±20.4) and 59.9 (±15.3) to 87.2 (±9.4) and 83.2 (±12.0), respectively. Postoperative MRI was available in 33 patients at a mean 8.2 months after surgery. Twenty-nine shoulders (87.9%) had an intact repaired tendon, while 3 patients had shown partial-thickness delaminated retears, and 1 patient demonstrated a full-thickness retear on postoperative MRI.

Conclusion

For bursal-side PTRCT, clinical outcomes and tendon healing showed good results at a minimum 2 years after surgery, with minimal damage to intact articular tendon fibers on postoperative MRIs.
Does Platelet-Rich Plasma Accelerate Recovery After Rotator Cuff Repair? A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Jo Chris Hyunchul , Kim Ji Eun , Yoon Kang Sup , Lee Ji Ho , Kang Seung Baik , Lee Jae Hyup , Han Hyuk Soo , Rhee Seung Hwan , Shin Sue
Published: July 2011

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been recently used to enhance and accelerate the healing of musculoskeletal injuries and diseases, but evidence is still lacking, especially on its effects after rotator cuff repair.

Hypothesis: Platelet-rich plasma accelerates recovery after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair in pain relief, functional outcome, overall satisfaction, and enhanced structural integrity of repaired tendon.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Methods: Forty-two patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears were included. Patients were informed about the use of PRP before surgery and decided themselves whether to have PRP placed at the time of surgery. Nineteen patients underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with PRP and 23 without. Platelet-rich plasma was prepared via plateletpheresis and applied in the form of a gel threaded to a suture and placed at the interface between tendon and bone. Outcomes were assessed preoperatively and at 3, 6, 12, and finally at a minimum of 16 months after surgery (at an average of 19.7 ± 1.9 months) with respect to pain, range of motion, strength, and overall satisfaction, and with respect to functional scores as determined using the following scoring systems: the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon (ASES) system, the Constant system, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) system, the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) system, the Simple Shoulder Test (SST) system, and the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) system. At a minimum of 9 months after surgery, repaired tendon structural integrities were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging.

Results: Platelet-rich plasma gel application to arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs did not accelerate recovery with respect to pain, range of motion, strength, functional scores, or overall satisfaction as compared with conventional repair at any time point. Whereas magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a retear rate of 26.7% in the PRP group and 41.2% in the conventional group, there was no statistical significance between the groups ( P = .388).

Conclusion: The results suggest that PRP application during arthroscopic rotator cuff repair did not clearly demonstrate accelerated recovery clinically or anatomically except for an improvement in internal rotation. Nevertheless, as the study may have been underpowered to detect clinically important differences in the structural integrity, additional investigations, including the optimization of PRP preparation and a larger randomized study powered for healing rate, are necessary to further determine the effect of PRP.
Expanding the Confrontation Clause and Testimonial Hearsay Statements
Authors: Ross Darrell L. , Knowles Fred E.
Published: July 2011

In its 2010 term, the U.S. Supreme Court elaborated on law enforcement procedures in their decision of Michigan v. Bryant (2011) by analyzing the Sixth Amendment’s Confrontation Clause regarding statements obtained by police officers during an initial investigation. The court examined the statement of a mortally wounded victim who, before dying, identified the shooter as well as the location of the shooting. In a 6-2 decision the court held that a statement given to police by a wounded crime victim identifying the person who shot him may be admitted as evidence at the trial if the victim dies before trial and thus does not appear. Because the primary purpose of the interrogation was to enable police to deal with an ongoing emergency, the statements resulting from that interrogation were nontestimonial and could be admitted without violating the Confrontation Clause.
Unexpected Companions
Authors: Wiegand Krista E. , Powell Emilia Justynia
Published: July 2011

Empirical research suggests that the existence of territorial disputes makes armed conflict more likely to occur. Yet, there are many states that have engaged in militarized interstate disputes that not only maintain normalized bilateral relations, but cooperate with one another on an increasing number of bilateral issues. How can disputing states like Argentina and the UK so frequently cooperate with each other on bilateral issues when there remains a significant amount of tension regarding their territorial dispute over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands? Our theory suggests that challengers involved in territorial disputes are willing to engage

in bilateral cooperation with their adversaries in order to influence upcoming territorial settlement attempts. Bilateral cooperation is purposively and strategically used by the challengers as a form of confidence building measure (CBM) with the goal of reducing the negative impact of the territorial dispute. Empirical analyses of monthly data (1978—2003) on Argentina—UK relations, as well as qualitative evidence from the case, support our theoretical expectations by showing that challengers deliberately link cooperation on bilateral issues to territorial dispute settlement attempts as a form of bargaining incentive to increase the likelihood of peaceful resolution.
Issue Rivalries
Authors: McLaughlin Mitchell Sara , Thies Cameron G.
Published: July 2011

This article expands upon the traditional interstate rivalry concept by focusing on two conceptual dimensions of interstate rivalry: issues and militarization. The first dimension captures the number of distinct issues that characterize a dyadic interstate relationship, such as repeated clashes between states over border disputes, maritime zones, or cross-border rivers. The second dimension is very similar to the dispute density approach to rivalry, and captures the number of militarized incidents over specific contentious issues. The first dimension of issue rivalry is coded by identifying pairs of states with two or more (simultaneous) contentious issues. The second dimension of militarized rivalry is coded for single issues (such as a border dispute), capturing the presence of two or more militarized incidents over that issue in the past. Empirical analyses of these two new rivalry measures in the Western Hemisphere and Western Europe show some important variation in these rivalry dimensions. Issue rivals and militarized rivals are significantly more likely to employ militarized force and peaceful negotiation techniques to resolve geopolitical issues in comparison with dyads that experience contentious issues in non-rivalry settings. On the other hand, dyads characterized by issue rivalry do not experience disputes that escalate to high levels of violence, such as fatalities or wars. It is only prior militarization of a specific contentious issue that leads states down the path to war.
Democracies, Territory, and Negotiated Compromises
Authors: Miller Steven V. , Gibler Douglas M.
Published: July 2011

Multiple studies have confirmed that democracies are more likely than other regime types to resolve their militarized disputes through negotiation and compromise. We argue that these findings have not controlled for the types of disputes that are most likely to involve democracies. States have often resolved their most dangerous disputes, involving territorial issues with neighbors, prior to becoming democratic. Thus, the issues involving democracies are of less salience and are more easily negotiated with compromise. Using Militarized Interstate Dispute data from Correlates of War Project, 1816 to 2001, we confirm this explanation. The pacifying effect of regime type disappears once controls are added for proximity and issue type. We find that territorial issues among contiguous states are among the most difficult issues to resolve, and democracies are unlikely to be involved in these disputes. Our findings are an advancement of the territorial peace argument and present a first step in a re-examination of the broader empirical regularities associated with democratic peace theory.
Borders, Rivalry, Democracy, and Conflict in the European Region, 1816-1994
Authors: Rasler Karen , Thompson William R.
Published: July 2011

Should peace be attributed mainly to democracy or to some intervening variable that influences both democracy and conflict? A second, perhaps related question is whether or to what extent democratization is driven by external drivers of threat. If regime type helps explain external conflict, does external conflict also help explain regime type? By examining the relationships among strategic rivalry, unstable boundaries, democracy, and interstate conflict in a regional context, we find that rivalry and unstable boundaries are alternative manifestations of external threat. Both have significant, if not identical effects on stimulating interstate conflict. Regime type does not appear to have an independent effect on interstate conflict when we take either rivalries or unstable boundaries into consideration. At the same time, we also find that external threat indicators negatively predict changes in democratization. In short, greater threat is associated with less democratization.
Teacher development and evaluation: a study of policy and practice in Colorado
Authors: Ramirez Al , Lamphere Mike , Smith Jim , Brown Shelmon , Pierceall-Herman Jennifer
Published: July 2011

This study undertook an investigation of policy and practice related to teacher evaluation and development among Colorado school districts. A conceptual analysis was applied to a sample of teacher evaluation policies and process materials from 30 school districts. The study was based on policy objectives stipulated in state statute and best practice as reported in the literature. Results of the study show little relationship to teacher development and an emphasis in the policies and processes toward summative evaluations. Student outcomes received modest attention while the processes of teacher evaluation seemed de-contextualised to other school district systems.
The relationship between job involvement and school administrative effectiveness as perceived by administration teachers
Authors: Ruilin Lin  , Jingchen Xie  , Jeng Yoau-Chau , Wang Zheng-Hong
Published: July 2011

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between ‘job involvement’ and ‘school administrative effectiveness’ as perceived by junior high school administration teachers. The findings are as follows. (1) The current status of ‘job involvement’ and ‘school administrative effectiveness’ as perceived by administration teachers is positive. (2) The perception of ‘job involvement’ and ‘school administrative effectiveness’ significantly differs with ‘age’, ‘marital status’, ‘educational background’, ‘seniority of concurrent post’, ‘concurrent post’ and ‘school size’. (3) ‘Job involvement’ and ‘school administrative effectiveness’ as perceived by administration teachers are significantly and positively related.
Beginning elementary principals around the world
Authors: García-Garduño José María , Slater Charles L. , López-Gorosave Gema
Published: July 2011

The paper explores the different circumstances of newly appointed principals around the world. It is a literature review that examines articles from both English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries. Being a novice principal is stressful and even traumatic. Principals appear to feel unprepared for their role. The problem most common to all countries is interpersonal conflict. Principals have to serve as a sort of buffer to reduce shock due to contact. They gain tacit knowledge and become more confident as they learn on the job, but they do not necessarily become instructional leaders.1
Understanding Experiences of Spousal Caregivers with Health as Expanding Consciousness
Authors: MacLeod Carrie E.
Published: July 2011

The purpose of this study was to recognize a unitary pattern within the lives of spousal caregivers following their spouses’ discharge from the hospital after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The unitary pattern emerged through four themes: dyadic relationship life patterns influenced caregivers’ roles and responsibilities, life patterns of caring for self and others were altered, life patterns of certainty and knowing were limiting, awareness of life pattern gave meaning, and new perception on life left to live. The study added empirical support to the theory of health as expanding consciousness and provided a new way to examine the spousal caregiving experience.
Nursing Practice with Families Without a Country
Authors: Kim Hyun Kyoung , Lee Ok Ja , Baumann Steven L.
Published: July 2011

The authors of this paper consider the stories of three North Korean refugee families in South Korea in light of the humanbecoming family model. These stories testify to the hardships and separations lived by such families, but also speaks to their courage and determination. The vulnerability of refugee-and asylum-seeking persons to further exploitation and victimization is highlighted, as is the value for nurses who provide them with an understanding welcome and support.
Nursing Theory-Guided Research
Authors: Alligood Martha Raile
Published: July 2011

Theory-guided research has a long tradition in nursing that spans at least 50 years. Yet the use of nursing theory with qualitative research approaches continues to raise questions. Grounded theory is selected by nurses as a research methodology to address research questions that are aimed at understanding the nuances of nursing communication processes. Nurse theorist Margaret Newman is recognized in this issue for her theoretical contributions to practice and research, and a Newman scholar is introduced who explains her use of grounded theory research methodology guided by Newman’s theory of health as expanding consciousness.
Health as Expanding Consciousness
Authors: Musker Kathleen M. , Kagan Paula N.
Published: July 2011

The authors of this column explore the implications of Newman’s theory of health as expanding consciousness for health policy. One aim is to expand the theory’s practice methodology and praxis methods to the development of health policy, an under-represented area in the health as expanding consciousness literature. The second aim is to suggest a framework for policy development, the health as expanding consciousness policy protocol, and explore the possible impact that theory-guided policy may have on community and nursing efforts to transform health and public policy.
Specialty and Advanced Practice Nursing
Authors: Thoun Deborah Sally
Published: July 2011

Advanced practice nursing and specialty practice are terms that are often used interchangeably in nursing discourse. This column explores the inextricable link, as well as the differences between these two types of practice. Drawing differing conclusions about their specific and cooperative value enables nurses to construct innovative and creative approaches to their continued development that illuminates a path for disciplinary expansion. Congruent programs of education prepare nurses to communicate the distinctiveness of their many and varied contributions to the public with greater clarity and emphatic certainty.
Betrayal and Academic Relationships
Authors: Milton Constance L.
Published: July 2011

Betrayal, or the violation of human trust, is an important phenomenon happening in nurse-nurse and nurse-other human relationships in healthcare contexts. Specifically, betrayal and breaches of trust surface in academic relationships cocreating tension and uncertainty. This column begins a discussion of the phenomenon as viewed through the lens of the humanbecoming ethical tenets.
High-precision fabrication of Pd film by laser rear-side ablation with thick sacrificial layer
Authors: Wang W J , Wang K D , Jiang G D , Mei X S , Yang C J
Published: July 2011

Thermal damage can be a major problem in laser machining thin films. This paper proposes a laser rear-side ablation technique that incorporates a sacrificial layer to absorb excess energy, thereby lessening the level of thermal damage created in the laser processing of metallic films. The sacrificial layer is placed between the quartz substrate and the metallic film. Experiments were performed on the laser machining of holes in a palladium film using phenol formaldehyde resin as the sacrificial layer in which the pulse energy and sacrificial layer thickness were varied. The experimental results validate the proposed approach in that the judicious choice of the values of the pulse energy and the thickness of the sacrificial layer lead to the creation of high-quality holes that do not display the effects of thermal damage. Thus, the proposed technique can be considered to be a promising method for the laser machining of metal films.
Replicating interbody device subsidence with lumbar vertebrae surrogates
Authors: Au A G , Aiyangar A K , Anderson P A , Ploeg H-L
Published: July 2011

Bone surrogates are proposed alternatives to human cadaveric vertebrae for assessing interbody device subsidence. A synthetic vertebra with representations of cortices, endplates and cancellous bone was recently developed as an alternative surrogate to polyurethane foam blocks. The ability of the two surrogates to replicate subsidence has not been fully assessed, and was evaluated by indenting them with ring-shaped indenters and comparing their performance with human cadaveric vertebrae using qualitative characteristics and indentation metrics. The sensitivity of each surrogate to a centrally or peripherally placed indenter was of particular interest. Many indentation characteristics of the foam blocks were similar to those of human cadaveric vertebrae, except their insensitivity to centrally and peripherally placed indenters, owing to their homogeneous mechanical properties. This is distinctly different from the cadaveric vertebrae, where a peripherally placed indenter indented significantly less than a centrally placed indenter, because of endplates. By contrast, the synthetic vertebra was sensitive to peripherally placed indenters owing to its bi-material composition, including a thickened peripheral endplate. However, an overly strong synthetic endplate resulted in unrepresentative indentation shape and depth. Both surrogates produced similar results to human cadaveric vertebrae in certain respects, but neither is accurate enough in terms of material property distribution to model subsidence completely in human cadaveric vertebrae.
Spontaneous Trait Inference Is Culture-Specific
Authors: Na Jinkyung , Kitayama Shinobu
Published: July 2011

People with an independent model of the self may be expected to develop a spontaneous tendency to infer a personality trait from another person’s behavior, but those with an interdependent model of the self may not show such a tendency. We tested this prediction by assessing the cumulative effect of both trait activation and trait binding in a diagnostic task that required no trait inference. Participants first memorized pairings of facial photos with trait-implying behavior. In a subsequent lexical decision task, European Americans showed clear evidence of spontaneous trait inference: When they were primed with a previously studied face, lexical decision for the word for the implied trait associated with that face was facilitated, and the antonym of the implied trait elicited an electrophysiological sign associated with processing of semantically inconsistent information (i.e., the N400). As predicted, however, neither effect was observed for Asian Americans. The cultural difference was mediated by independent self-construal.
Interviewing Separately or as Couples? Considerations of Authenticity of Method
Authors: Taylor Bridget , de Vocht Hilde
Published: July 2011

Heideggerian researchers recognize that people and their worlds are coconstructed; people make sense of their world from within it, not detached from it. The presence of one’s partner in a joint interview will therefore influence the experience of participants, and will also influence the descriptions they provide. In this article, we present a reflexive discussion of two studies in which we used Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology to explore people’s experiences of sexuality and intimacy within the context of their illness. We present the Heideggerian concepts of Dasein, authenticity and truth, and draw on extracts from our interview transcripts to exemplify the different effects of joint and one-to-one interviews. We also discuss ethical considerations regarding these different interview approaches. Heidegger’s philosophy does not preferentially support either method, but helps us to be clearer about the merits and limitations of each approach. Combining both approaches provides richer understanding of phenomena.
“My Life? There Is Not Much to Tell”: On Voice, Silence and Agency in Interviews With First-Generation Mizrahi Jewish Women Immigrants to Israel
Authors: Nagar-Ron Sigal , Motzafi-Haller Pnina
Published: July 2011

From early 1980s, a large body of feminist literature has been attempting to account for and explain the particular mix of fragmented speech and multiple silences characteristic of interviews with subaltern subjects.The authors offer an epistemological challenge to these orthodoxies on two levels. First, the authors challenge the very premise that views the accounts produced by marginalized research participants as failures that need to be overcome through methodological strategies, proposing instead to understand silence and fragmentation as part of the process through which they develop their sense of self and agency. Second, the authors insist that both the micro interview setting and the macro, sociohistorical contexts must be considered and analyzed within the same framework that positions the research participant at the center. The authors illustrate these arguments through the case study of multiply marginalized Jewish women who immigrated to Israel in the 1950s and 1960s from North Africa and Asia.
Complex resonance and localized vibrations at the edge of a semi-infinite elastic cylinder
Authors: Pagneux Vincent
Published: July 2011

The effect of the free edge of a semi-infinite elastic cylinder with circular cross section is considered. It is shown that there exists a complex resonance frequency associated with an axially symmetric localized vibration near the free edge for every value of the Poisson ratio v. For two particular values of v, v = 0 and v = 0.1267, the imaginary part of the complex resonance frequency is zero which corresponds to a trapped mode of the semi-infinite rod. This resonance is also shown to be associated with two eigenfrequencies of the finite length cylinder.
Analysis of localized edge vibrations of cylindrical shells using the Stroh formalism
Authors: Fu YB , Kaplunov J
Published: July 2011

We consider localized edge vibrations of isotropic cylindrical thin shells that are described by the Kirchhoff–Love theory. This problem is mathematically similar to the surface-wave problem but has so far not benefited from the elegant general theory developed for the latter. We first reformulate the governing equations into a Stroh/Hamiltonian form and then derive a matrix Riccati equation and an integral representation for the edge-impedance matrix, the use of which we wish to promote. We show how to use the Riccati equation and the integral presentation to compute the vibration frequency efficiently.
High-performance language interoperability for scientific computing through Babel
Authors: Epperly Thomas GW , Kumfert Gary , Dahlgren Tamara , Ebner Dietmar , Leek Jim , Prantl Adrian , Kohn Scott
Published: July 2011

High-performance scientific applications are usually built from software modules written in multiple programming languages. This raises the issue of language interoperability which involves making calls between languages, converting basic types, and bridging disparate programming models. Babel provides a feature-rich, extensible, high-performance solution to the language interoperability problem currently supporting C, C++, FORTRAN 77, Fortran 90/95, Fortran 2003/2008, Python, and Java. Babel supports object-oriented programming features and interface semantics with runtime enforcement. In addition to in-process language interoperability, Babel includes remote method invocation to support hybrid parallel and distributed computing paradigms.
Extending clusters to Amazon EC2 using the Rocks toolkit
Authors: Papadopoulos Philip M
Published: July 2011

In 2006, Amazon introduced their elastic computing cloud (EC2) where customers could rent, by the hour, Xen-based virtual machines hosted in Amazon’s data center. In this so-called infrastructure as a service (IAAS) cloud, users have full root-level access to virtual machines so that they can fully customize and optionally publish machine images. The generally accepted approach to provisioning within Amazon is to first start with a base image already residing within the cloud. Then, the user customizes this base configuration to match their specific requirements. While this works well for very simple, standalone software configurations, this approach has users starting with a black box of software (the base image) and then adding/modifying this system using techniques that range from very rigorous (excellent system configuration techniques) to completely ad hoc methods. A quick survey of public machine images available in Amazon’s cloud shows a growth of 28% from September 2010 (∼5500 images) to December 2010 (∼7050 images). The sheer number of public images makes the selection of the base configuration all that more daunting for the non-expert system administrator. In 2004, we introduced Rocks cluster toolkit rolls as pluggable, programmatic components to extend the definition of a Beowulf-style cluster. In contrast to the black box characteristics of most cloud images, we describe how the Rocks EC2 roll automatically handles the specific administrative changes needed to make any Rocks-defined computing appliance bootable within the EC2 infrastructure. When coupled with the Condor roll, it becomes straightforward to build an extended cluster as a single Condor pool with local job submission. This extended pool consists of both the user’s local cluster infrastructure (head node and local worker nodes) and EC2 nodes. Because the EC2 nodes are configured identically to their local counterparts, users need not modify their job submission scripts, executable paths or other parameters of their jobs simply to take advantage of cloud resources. These extensions are included in the EC2 and Condor rolls and enable the systematic reuse of software that has already been developed for clusters. These systems can function in the cloud as either standalone entities or as integrated components of a user’s existing cluster. With this work we demonstrate that cloud computing does not require entirely new approaches to systems definition and use.
Illinois Statewide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Authors: Simonsen Brandi , Eber Lucille , Black Anne C. , Sugai George , Lewandowski Holly , Sims Barbara , Myers Diane
Published: July 2011

More than 1,000 Illinois schools are implementing schoolwide positive behavior support (SWPBS) to enhance outcomes for students and staff. Consequently, Illinois established layered support structures to facilitate scaling up SWPBS. This paper describes the development of this infrastructure and presents the results of HLM analyses exploring the effects of implementing SWPBS, with and without fidelity across time, on student behavior and academic outcomes (office discipline referrals, suspensions, and state-wide test scores in reading and math) for a sample of 428 Illinois schools implementing SWPBS. Results indicate that (a) most schools implemented with fidelity and maintained or improved student performance across time and (b) implementation fidelity was associated with improved social outcomes and academic outcomes in math. Study limitations and implications are discussed.
The politicization of indigenous identities in Peru
Authors: Raymond Christopher , Arce Moisés
Published: July 2011

Until now, scholars have argued that, unlike other Latin American countries with sizable indigenous populations, indigenous politics are largely unimportant in Peru because indigenous-based parties or national-level movements are absent. Rather than focusing solely on the emergence of indigenous parties or movements, which ignores the larger consequence of individuals' indigenous identifications for electoral politics, we argue that it is more important to examine the emergence of indigenous political divisions and their effects on indigenous representation. Using data from the World Values Survey across the presidential elections of 1995, 2001, and 2006, we show that, as indigenous identity has become more carefully defined, indigenous voting divisions have emerged in Peru, and concomitantly, parties have begun to recognize and respond to these divisions.
Religion and psychosis: A common evolutionary trajectory?
Authors: Dein Simon , Littlewood Roland
Published: July 2011

In this article we propose that schizophrenia and religious cognition engage cognate mental modules in the over-attribution of agency and the overextension of theory of mind. We argue similarities and differences between assumptions of ultrahuman agents with omniscient minds and certain ‘‘pathological’’ forms of thinking in schizophrenia: thought insertion, withdrawal and broadcasting, and delusions of reference. In everyday religious cognition agency detection and theory of mind modules function ‘‘normally,’’ whereas in schizophrenia both modules are impaired. It is suggested that religion and schizophrenia have perhaps had a related evolutionary trajectory.
Cooperation and contention in psychiatric work
Authors: Messinger Seth D.
Published: July 2011

This article discusses the social organization of psychiatric work in the psychiatric emergency department of a public general hospital located in New York City, based on ethnographic research conducted from 1999 to 2001. Case studies of the care of two patients with ambiguous symptoms are discussed. The analysis applies the ‘‘differences approach’’ developed by Mol and colleagues which focuses on the way different professions provide divergent explanations and ontologies for symptoms and illness. The cases illustrate the ways in which social structural constraints are compelling psychiatry to become a multidisciplinary specialty.
Self-immolation, suicide and self-harm in Buddhist and Western traditions
Authors: Kelly Brendan D.
Published: July 2011

There are significant points of similarity between considerations of self-harm and suicide in Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions, including qualified acceptance of certain forms of self-harm, altruism as a motivation for suicide, and self-immolation as a form of political protest. Differences include specific contexts in which certain forms of self-harm are accepted and the predominant frameworks used to interpret such acts. The integration of Buddhist concepts of dukkha (unsatisfactoriness or suffering) and sati (mindfulness) into Western psychotherapeutic paradigms represents a significant point of convergence between the two traditions, and suggests the possibility of greater dialogue and therapeutic benefit in the future.
Cultural epidemiology of neurasthenia spectrum disorders in four general hospital outpatient clinics of urban Pune, India
Authors: Paralikar Vasudeo , Agashe Mohan , Sarmukaddam Sanjeev , Deshpande Sharmishtha , Goyal Vejaya , Weiss Mitchell G.
Published: July 2011

Disorders emphasizing symptoms of fatigue and/or weakness, collectively termed Neurasthenia Spectrum Disorders (NSDs), typically emphasize a biological basis in the West and social origins in East Asia. In India, explanatory concepts are diverse. To clarify, 352 outpatients in Psychiatry, Medicine, Dermatology, and Ayurved clinics of an urban hospital were interviewed with a version of the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue. Comparisons of categories and narratives of illness experience and meaning across clinics indicated both shared and distinctive features. Explanatory models of NSDs highlighted social distress, ‘‘tensions,’’ and both general and clinic-specific physical, psychological, and cultural ideas. Findings indicate the importance of social contexts and cultural meaning in explanatory models of neurasthenia, as well as the potential clinical relevance of the construct of Neurasthenia Spectrum Disorder.
Psychotherapy with immigrant patients in France: An ethnopsychiatric perspective
Authors: Zajde Nathalie
Published: July 2011

This article focuses on recent developments in clinical ethnopsychiatry theorized by the French psychologist Tobie Nathan, as understood and practised by a member of his clinical research team. Alongside Western psychological theories, Nathan’s approach sets out to include, within its clinical research setting, cultural and religious theories and healing practices related to unhappiness and disease. All such theories, regardless of the culture or civilization they belong to, are regarded as potentially valid and also as possible therapeutic tools. In this perspective, Nathan criticizes the concepts of representation or belief and prefers to talk about objects and theories. To illustrate his unique approach to therapy, the treatment of a Cameroon immigrant teenager and her family, conducted at the University clinic founded by Nathan, is extensively presented in this article.
Effect of adhesive in sandwich panels subjected to low-velocity impact
Authors: Zhu S , Chai G B
Published: July 2011

In this contribution, the impact response and failure modes of square sandwich test panels subjected to low-velocity impact were investigated. The two main groups of test specimens investigated were: (a) bonded specimens – sandwich panels with skins glued to the honeycomb core; (b) unbonded specimens – sandwich panels with skins not glued to the honeycomb core. The focus of the study is on the effect of the adhesive and the various modes of failures on the impact response of sandwich panels. A relatively detailed experimental investigation was conducted in conjunction with a detailed finite element analysis. The experiments were conducted using a standard dart test machine and the finite element analysis was carried out using a commercially available finite element software. The results of maximum contact force, contact duration, and failure modes are presented, compared, and discussed in this technical article.
The radical act: Towards a spatial critique
Authors: Stavrakakis Yannis
Published: July 2011

What if the dominance of the spatial metaphor in political reasoning and imagination risks an ultimately anti-political structuration of the field, leaving no space for acts that re-shape relations of power and to power? This tendency can explain the movement away from space towards an appreciation and prioritization of temporality in contemporary political theory. And yet, as Žižek’s fetishization of the ‘radical act’ as pure temporality reveals, no solution is to be found in reversing the terms of this binary opposition. Pure space and pure time form an imaginary double further enhancing the repression of the political. What is thus needed is a more sophisticated registering of the unavoidable space–time dialectic, able to allow a topological rethinking of space and to encourage democratic acts aiming at the reflexive re-institution of social orders.
Attention, asceticism, and grace
Authors: Roberts Peter
Published: July 2011

The work of the French thinker Simone Weil has exerted an important influence on scholars in a wide range of fields. To date, however, her writings have attracted comparatively little interest from educationists. This article discusses some of the key concepts in Weil’s philosophy — gravity, grace, decreation, and attention — and assesses their significance for the arts and humanities in higher education.
The World Religions paradigm Time for a change
Authors: Owen Suzanne
Published: July 2011

The teaching of religions has long relied on the World Religions paradigm to guide curricula throughout education, which has led to a widening gap, on the one hand, between what is taught in schools and in universities and, on the other, between research and teaching. While the World Religions paradigm has allowed the inclusion of non-Christian religions in education, it has also remodelled them according to liberal Western Christian values, influencing the conception of ‘religion’ beyond educational contexts. This article argues that it is time to discard the World Religions paradigm altogether in favour of a more critical approach to the study of religion, as a constructed category, as well as a study of religions in their contexts.
‘Religion’ in educational spaces
Authors: I'Anson John , Jasper Alison
Published: July 2011

The focus of this article is how ‘religion’, as a materially heterogeneous concept, becomes mobilized in different educational spaces, and the kinds of knowing to which this gives rise. Three ‘case studyish’ illustrations are deployed in order to consider how religion and education produce kinds of knowing which may — or may not — involve knowing well and knowing differently. We argue that it is necessary to attend to both the understanding of religion that is being deployed and the specific educational imaginary within which such knowing takes place.
PPH-01 Versus PPH-03 to Perform STARR for the Treatment of Hemorrhoids Associated With Large Internal Rectal Prolapse
Authors: Renzi Adolfo , Brillantino Antonio , Di Sarno Giandomenico , D’Aniello Francesco , Giordano Alfredo , Stefanuto Alberto , Aguzzi Daniele , Daffinà Antonio , Ceci Francesco , D’Oriano Giuseppe , Mercuri Massimo , Alderisio Alfonso , Perretta Luis , Carrino Francesco , Sernia Giovanni , Greco Ettore , Picchio Marcello , Marino Giuseppe , Goglia Angelo , Trombetti Amilcare , De Pascalis Biagio , Panella Sabatino , Bochicchio Osvaldo , Bandini Alfredo , Del Re Luca , Longo Francesco , Micera Osvaldo
Published: July 2011

Purpose. This multicenter randomized study was designed to compare the clinical and functional results of stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) performed with 2 staplers (PPH-01 vs. PPH-03) in the treatment of hemorrhoidal disease associated with a large internal rectal prolapse. Methods. From a total of 937 patients, referred for hemorrhoidal disease in the 20 centers involved in the study, 425 (45.3%) with prolapsed hemorrhoids associated with a large internal rectal prolapse were randomized to undergo STARR with PPH-01 or PPH-03. Postoperative evaluation was made at 3, 6, and 12 months. Results. The incidence of bleeding at the stapled line was significantly lower in the PPH-03 group than in the PPH-01 group (58/207 [28.0%] vs. 145/201 [72.1%]; P < .0001); the mean number of hemostatic stitches was significantly higher in the PPH-01 than in the PPH-03 group (3.2 ± 0.1 vs. 1.8 ± 0.8; P < .0001). The mean operative time was 25.1 ± 11.5 minutes in the PPH-03 group and 38.1 ± 15.7 minutes in the PPH-01 group ( P < .0001). No major complications occurred in either of the groups. At 12-month follow-up, the success rate in the 2 groups was 94.5% in the PPH01 group and 94.2% in the PPH03 group. Conclusion. STARR performed for the treatment of hemorrhoidal disease associated with a large rectal prolapse is a safe and effective procedure. The use of the PPH-03 stapler instead of the PPH-01 guarantees a statistically significant reduction of intraoperative bleeding and a significant decrease of the operative time.