bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preservation Factors in the Appraisal of Architectural Records
Authors: Schrock Nancy
Published: October 2015

The assessment of physical formats, condition, and preservation needs is an essential part of the appraisal of architectural records. The first step in the preservation appraisal process is to identify the physical process represented in an item. It is then necessary to determine whether it has intrinsic or artifactual value, and its informational value. In addition, because diazo prints and Vandyke negative prints are the architectural equivalents of brittle paper, it is also important to survey the condition of the materials in a collection. Finally, the size of the materials, which tend to be large in architectural records, and which will determine the storage spaces and conservation treatment spaces necessary to properly handle them, needs to be assessed. The preservation of architectural records has been complicated by the development of computer-aided design and other digital processes. It remains to be seen, however, whether digitization of architectural processes provides more solutions or problems to preservation concerns.
The Social Service Department Archives: Peking Union Medical College 1928-1951
Authors: King M.
Published: October 2015

The case records in the Social Service Department Archives of the Peking Union Medical College not only provide information on medical practices in China between 1928 and 1951, but also a wealth of information on the social and economic conditions in China at that time, particularly for women and families. The records also provide information on the philanthropic work of the Rockefeller Foundation, which provided vast amounts of grant funds for the Peking Union Medical College. Research in the archives is limited, however, by the large number of files and the lack of finding aids, as well as the everchanging attitude of the hospital administration toward researchers' use of the archives.
Et Tu Schellenberg? Thoughts on the Dagger of American Appraisal Theory
Authors: Boles Frank , Greene Mark
Published: October 2015

Luciana Duranti's article, "The Concept of Appraisal and Archival Theory" challenges the very foundations of American appraisal practice. Duranti believes that through several fundamental errors American archivists have embraced a unique body of appraisal thought that "betray[s] archival accountability." This article examines Duranti's arguments and finds them unpersuasive. The article accepts the idea that there is a discontinuity with European appraisal theory; however, American appraisal practice reflects faithfully the American records and cultural environment. Operating within its own cultural context, American appraisal is as valid and legitimate as traditions emanating from other cultures and other times.
Diplomatics for Photographic Images: Academic Exoticism?
Authors: Bartlett Nancy
Published: October 2015

The author considers the basic building blocks of diplomatics as they might pertain to a more nuanced analysis of visual images. She argues that diplomatics offers archivists an orientation by which to consider the photographic process through its refined notions of what constitutes authority, authenticity, purpose, and extrinsic and intrinsic elements. By creating and applying a typology for institutionally based photographic media according to these notions, archivists could better appraise, preserve, and represent these images.
Providing Subject Access to Images: A Study of User Queries
Authors: Collins Karen
Published: October 2015

This paper describes a study of user queries conducted at two historical photographic collections—the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. Patron requests were analyzed in order to determine which types of subject terms and attributes of images are used most often in requests for photographs. Basic categories of terms were created, and the number of requests utilizing each category of term was tallied. It was found that subject terms, both generic and specific, were used far more frequently than any other categories of terms in requests for photographs. Generic subject terms appeared most often in requests, indicating the importance of these terms for indexing. Time and place were the next most commonly used types of terms. In contrast, genre, visual terms, format, and creator/provenance were mentioned relatively infrequently.
Information Culture and the Archival Record
Authors: Lubar Steven
Published: October 2015

New technologies pose new challenges for archivists not only because they change the material nature of archives, but also because they change ideas about information and its place in our culture. This article uses contemporary cultural theory to consider the intersections of information, culture, and technology in archives. It argues that context is essential to understanding archives and that archives are creators and reinforcers of power and authority. Finally, it considers two archetypal archives, assemblages of clay tokens in the ancient Near East, and today's World Wide Web, to suggest the importance of considering archives' connectivity and context in order to understand their use and power.
Literacy, Documents, and Archives in the Ancient Athenian Democracy
Authors: Sickinger James
Published: October 2015

This article examines some trends in studies of ancient literacy, especially as they relate to the archives and inscriptions of classical Athens. While granting the symbolic significance of many ancient documents, it argues that recent studies of ancient literacy have been overly pessimistic in their assessment of the practical uses of written texts. A focus on the documents that lay behind Athenian inscriptions on stone shows that writing was used far more widely for both administrative purposes and for the preservation of official texts than the new model of ancient literacy allows.
Appraising Public Television Programs: Toward an Interpretive and Comparative Evaluation Model
Authors: Connors Thomas
Published: October 2015

Public television programs are clearly unique from those produced for commercial broadcast. However, unique appraisal guidelines for evaluating public television programs do not exist for archivists. Critical in developing an appraisal model for such programs is an understanding of the history of public broadcasting in the United States, the politics underlying that history, and the entities responsible for the production of public television programs. Past and current appraisal theories also inform the criteria used in the author's appraisal model for public television programs, the application of which is demonstrated for four different types of public television programs.
Meeting the Challenge of Contemporary Records: Does It Require a Role Change for the Archivist?
Authors: Duranti Luciana
Published: October 2015

Recent archival literature reflects a number of diverse definitions of the role of the archivist. Many older assessments stress a more cohesive definition: the need for archivists to be all to all archives, equally representing users and administrators, creators and researchers. The challenge created by contemporary records is not to change this fundamental role, first expressed over two hundred years ago during the French Revolution, but to create new ways to fulfill it. The task requires making three crucial distinctions: between the archivist's methods and the archival mission, between the archivist's work and archival functions, and between professional issues and archival science issues. Only by learning how to strike a balance between the needs of archivists as individuals and the collective identity of the archival profession can the challenges of contemporary records be met. An earlier version of this article was delivered on August 26, 1999, as the author's presidential address at the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Archivistics Research Saving the Profession
Authors: Ketelaar Eric
Published: October 2015

The archivist has to understand the ways people create and maintain records and archives. This is particularly important as archives and archivists go through a paradigm shift from provenance defined by stable offices and roles to one of dynamic process-bound information. In all stages of records and archives management and archival usage, the socially and culturally defined "software of the mind" plays a role. This new "archivistics" demands that archival education be comparative and multi-disciplinary. Likewise, research in archival science, broadly defined, is a key instrument for experimenting, inventing, changing, and improving professional education.
Archival Training in a Changing World
Authors: Menne-Haritz Angelika
Published: October 2015

Archives are the memories of a nation or a people. Archival theory accepts the distinction between past and present and even creates it through archival functions. Archival work consists of the management of access and closure, of preservation of materials in unchanged shape as the basis for constantly changing memories. The archival training at the Marburg Archives School approaches education as a holistic enterprise. It consists of pre-employment training, post-graduate continuing education, and research in archival sciences. Training in archival science is complemented by instruction in preservation management and in the legal implications of archival and administrative law. The Marburg Archives School also maintains an active publications program. Based on a well-grounded professional practice, continuing education training adapts itself to practical needs as it enlarges the professional knowledge.
Archival Research: the University of British Columbia Experience
Authors: Eastwood Terry
Published: October 2015

This paper explores the role of research in a professional, graduate archival education program by assessing the experience of the Master of Archival Studies (MAS) program in the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC). It pays particular attention to the role of the thesis in creating both a solid research base as well as helping the program to establish itself as a separate field within the university.
Experiments in Deaccessioning: Archives and On-line Auctions
Authors: Doylen Michael
Published: October 2015

All archives accumulate duplicate or out-of-scope materials. Archivists have several options for removing such materials from their holdings: they may return them to the donor, transfer them to a more appropriate repository, destroy, or sell them. Although selling is the least practiced of these options, it has advantages. Furthermore, the proliferation and popularity of on-line auction venues make it possible for archives to sell items more quickly and at a greater profit than before. This article discusses the legal and ethical issues raised for archivists by the use of on-line auction venues in deaccessioning unwanted materials.
Serving Up EAD: An Exploratory Study on the Deployment and Utilization of Encoded Archival Description Finding Aids
Authors: Roth James
Published: October 2015

This study explores the current methods for deploying EAD finding aids to identify the most promising practices being used, examines how much and what type of evaluation archivists are gathering from end-users regarding deployment methods, identifies archivists' perceptions regarding the use of EAD-encoded finding aids, and in general, attempts to further the study of electronic access to archival collections. The focus of this paper is the current state of deployment methods for EAD, including how long and what types of deployment methods are being used, why they were selected, what changes, if any, are being planned, and what types of challenges are associated with them. The paper also focuses on archivists' perception of end-user utilization of EAD and explores the evaluation upon which this perception is based, including how and on what basis archivists formulate their perceptions.
The Power of Meaning: The Archival Mission in the Postmodern Age
Authors: Greene Mark
Published: October 2015

Some archivists at the forefront of writing about the complexities of electronic materials have challenged the traditional U.S. definitions of "records," "archives," and "archivists." Where once those terms were broad enough to encompass virtually all forms of documentary material, these writers, exemplified by Richard Cox and Luciana Duranti, have urged on our profession a narrower conception of records and archives. This challenge threatens to undermine the important socio-cultural meaning of archives and archival material. It is vital that archivists reclaim and reaffirm a broad conception of their professional purpose and an equally broad definition of what constitutes archival material. To do otherwise is to accept a truncated and sterile vision of our profession.
Seeing Archives: Postmodernism and the Changing Intellectual Place of Archives
Authors: Nesmith Tom
Published: October 2015

Archivists have begun to outline the general application of a postmodern perspective to archival work. Postmodernists emphasize the idea that there is no way to avoid or neutralize the limits of the mediating influences that shape our understandings of our worlds. This postmodern outlook suggests an important new intellectual place for archives in the formation of records, knowledge, culture, and societies. This article aims to contribute more fully to an understanding of how the postmodern view of communication and language throws light on the role of archivists in mediating, and thus shaping, the knowledge available in archives. It concludes with the suggestion that this understanding of the role archivists play will be pivotal in archiving the computerized record.
Toward Common Content: An Analysis of Online College and University Collecting Policies
Authors: Marshall Jennifer
Published: October 2015

Collecting policies have been advocated as tools to help archivists build stronger collections. The model proposed by Faye Phillips in 1984 is the most detailed framework for collecting policies in the archival literature. This paper presents the results of a pilot study of the collecting policies of college and university archives available online to investigate whether a consensus has been reached about the content of these documents. Future studies of this kind for other types of archives could facilitate the identification, refinement, and dissemination of professional best practice and standards for collecting policies.
Oral History in the Archives: Its Documentary Role in the Twenty-first Century
Authors: Swain Ellen
Published: October 2015

While many archivists and librarians have celebrated oral history's documentary potential, others have questioned its reliance on faulty and subjective memory. The role of archivists as curator of collections or creator of records, an issue that has arisen anew in recent years, is central to this oral history debate. Drawing on fifty years of archival, library, and oral history scholarship, this article examines how the introduction of oral history in archives and libraries has challenged and informed archival theory and practice in the United States. The article argues that oral history's contribution and impact in the twenty-first century will depend on archivists' and librarians' ability and willingness to work together, in collaboration with other disciplines, to document and provide access to our oral heritage in the digital age.
User Interactions with Electronic Finding Aids in a Controlled Setting
Authors: Prom Christopher
Published: October 2015

This article presents findings from a study conducted to measure and describe interactions with on-line archival finding aids. The study measured responses for participants interacting with four collection-level search systems and four individual finding aids. Both statistical and qualitative findings are provided and correlated to demographic data such as archival experience and self-reported computer expertise. The study provides insights into how users navigate archival descriptive information and how archivists and digital librarians might design interfaces that facilitate efficient search strategies. Experienced archival users and novices utilize different methods of searching for archival information. Interface elements such as alphabetical lists, page-top tables of contents, and single-page search options enabled both expert and novice users to conduct more efficient searches than did alternate designs.
Navigating Ambiguous Waters: Providing Access to Student Records in the University Archives
Authors: Chute Tamar , Swain Ellen
Published: October 2015

Because privacy laws heavily restrict access to student records, archivists are forced to weigh the research potential of these documents against their availability. At the center of this issue is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects individual student records from unauthorized third-party review. In 2003, the authors conducted a survey of one hundred Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Archives in the United States to gauge FERPA's impact on current archival appraisal and access policies for student records. Based on their survey findings, the authors suggest guidelines for instituting access policies that comply with FERPA and allow for the greatest possible access.
William J. Barrow: A Remembrance and Appreciation
Authors: Church John
Published: October 2015

William J. Barrow was a unique and significant individual in the history of archives preservation, the development of permanent/durable book paper, and the application of investigative techniques in these fields. The author, who worked with Barrow in his restoration shop and research laboratory during the 1950s when much of his major work was in progress, offers in this article an appreciation of his contributions. The article corrects some recent misapprehensions concerning Barrow and provides an account of his effective personal and problem-solving attributes.
Chatting Up the Archivist: Social Capital and the Archival Researcher
Authors: Johnson Catherine , Duff Wendy
Published: October 2015

Historians are expert researchers who use a variety of methods to locate primary research material in archives, including consulting the archivist. This article suggests that historical researchers deliberately establish relationships with archivists to tap into their in-depth knowledge about archival resources. The relationship with the archivist is the social capital of historical researchers because through it they are able to gain access to this specialized knowledge. This article examines the strategies undertaken by historical researchers to establish these relationships and their evaluation of the relationships in terms of finding resources. It also examines the difference in access to the archivist between established historical researchers and PhD students and speculates on how the availability of archival resources and finding aids on the World Wide Web might affect the relationships between researchers and archivists.
The Rise of Confidentiality: State Courts on Access to Public Records During the Mid-twentieth Century
Authors: Cox Dwayne
Published: October 2015

Under the common law tradition, access to public records was restricted to those with a "direct and tangible" interest in the information. Challenges to this tradition, however, came from those who considered access to public records a right of citizenship. In the twentieth century, state courts across the country increasingly accepted the right of access to public records, but recognized that this right raised a new set of issues requiring identification of categories of information that could be restricted.
More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Archival Processing
Authors: Greene Mark , Meissner Dennis
Published: October 2015

Processing backlogs continue to be a problem for archivists, and yet the problem is exacerbated by many of the traditional approaches to processing collections that archivists continue to practice. This research project reviewed the literature on archival processing and conducted surveys of processing practices to identify the scope of the problem and its impacts both on processing costs and on access to collections. The paper issues a call for archivists to rethink the way they process collections, particularly large contemporary collections. It challenges many of the assumptions archivists make about the importance of preservation activities in processing and the arrangement and description activities necessary to allow researchers to access collections effectively.
Accessioning as Processing
Authors: Weideman Christine
Published: October 2015

This article explores the application of new methods, including those recommended by Mark A. Greene and Dennis Meissner in their article "More Product, Less Process," to reduce the amount of time to accession and process collections. The methods were applied during the accessioning of two collections and the arrangement and description of a large collection of family papers. The author describes the work completed, the time it took, and the consequences for operations throughout the repository.
ARMA v. SAA The History and Heart of Professional Friction
Authors: Scanlan Kathryn
Published: October 2015

ARMA International and the Society of American Archivists (SAA) share overlapping membership, similar missions, and a tumultuous history. This paper reviews the history of SAA in relation to the field of records management, exploring both the facts and the context in which America's largest records management association split from its largest archival association.
Fluid-Filled Fracture Propagation With a Phase-Field Approach and Coupling to a Reservoir Simulator
Authors: Wick Thomas , Singh Gurpreet , Wheeler Mary F.
Published: October 2015

A quantitative assessment of hydraulic-fracturing jobs relies on accurate predictions of fracture growth during slickwater injection for single and multistage fracturing scenarios. This requires consistent modeling of underlying physical processes, from hydraulic fracturing to long-term production. In this work, we use a recently introduced phase-field approach to model fracture propagation in a porous medium. This approach is thermodynamically consistent and captures several characteristic features of crack propagation such as joining, branching, and nonplanar propagation as a result of heterogeneous material properties. We describe two different phase-field fracture-propagation models and then present a technique for coupling these to a fractured-poroelastic-reservoir simulator. The proposed coupling approach can be adapted to existing reservoir simulators. We present 2D and 3D numerical tests to benchmark, compare, and demonstrate the predictive capabilities of the fracture-propagation model as well as the proposed coupling scheme.
Multivariate Control for Managed-Pressure-Drilling Systems by Use of High-Speed Telemetry
Authors: Shishavan Reza Asgharzadeh , Hubbell Casey , Perez Hector D. , Hedengren John D. , Pixton David S. , Pink Anthony P.
Published: October 2015

With the recent advance in high-speed data communication offered by wired-drillpipe (WDP) telemetry, it is now possible to design automated control systems that directly use downhole data (e.g., pressure) to optimize drilling procedures. This research couples drilling hydraulics, rate of penetration (ROP), and rotational-speed (rev/min) control into a single controller for managed-pressure-drilling (MPD) systems. This novel multivariate controller improves drilling performance during normal drilling operations and enhances safety during abnormal drilling conditions such as unwanted gas-influx situations.

New advances in drilling automation have made the closed-loop control of downhole weight on bit (WOB) and drillstring rotational speed (rev/min) possible. This study uses two feedback controllers that control the downhole WOB and rev/min by use of surface data. A multivariate nonlinear model-predictive controller (NMPC) uses downhole and surface measurements to simultaneously regulate the bottomhole-assembly (BHA) pressure and maximize the ROP. For this purpose, NMPC provides the necessary set points for the WOB and rev/min feedback controllers and manipulates the choke-valve opening and pump-flow rates. Controller performance is enhanced by means of a nonlinear estimator that works continuously online with the NMPC and provides the necessary estimated parameter values (such as annulus density, friction factor, and gas influx) for precise and efficient drilling control.

The designed NMPC controller has a multipriority approach that is described in the following three scenarios: during unexpected gas influx, the NMPC gives priority to BHA pressure control and attenuates the influx effectively by means of a novel kick-attenuation method that switches the control objective from BHA pressure to choke-valve pressure; during connection procedures when adding a new stand, ROP is stopped and the NMPC focuses on maintaining the BHA pressure constant; and during normal drilling operation, which involves changes in the rock formation and differential pressures, NMPC gives priority to ROP maximization while maintaining rev/min, WOB, and BHA pressure within specified bounds.

Preliminary results suggest that this multivariate controller for ROP and BHA-pressure control decreases drilling costs, reduces operator workload, and minimizes risk significantly. Specific improvements in drilling performance include higher ROP, effective kick attenuation, and more-uniform cuttings. The use of a multivariate NMPC allows for better ROP optimization and BHA-pressure control than is possible with the use of two independent controllers. These benefits are demonstrated across the three scenarios mentioned previously. In simulation, this technology delivers significant performance improvements during MPD and furthers the development of automated-driller systems.
Upscaling for Compositional Reservoir Simulation
Authors: Li Hangyu , Durlofsky Louis J.
Published: October 2015

Compositional flow simulation, which is required for modeling enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) operations, can be very expensive computationally, particularly when the geological model is highly resolved. It is therefore difficult to apply computational procedures that require large numbers of flow simulations, such as optimization, for EOR processes. In this paper, we develop an accurate and robust upscaling procedure for oil/gas compositional flow simulation. The method requires a global fine-scale compositional simulation, from which we compute the required upscaled parameters and functions associated with each coarse-scale interface or wellblock. These include coarse-scale transmissibilities, upscaled relative permeability functions, and so-called α-factors, which act to capture component flow rates in the oil and gas phases. Specialized near-well treatments for both injection and production wells are introduced. An iterative procedure for optimizing the α-factors is incorporated to further improve coarse-model accuracy. The upscaling methodology is applied to two example cases, a 2D model with eight components and a 3D model with four components, with flow in both cases driven by wells arranged in a five-spot pattern. Numerical results demonstrate that the global compositional upscaling procedure consistently provides very accurate coarse results for both phase and component production rates, at both the field and well level. The robustness of the compositionally upscaled models is assessed by simulating cases with time-varying well bottomhole pressures that are significantly different from those used when the coarse model was constructed. The coarse models are shown to provide accurate predictions in these tests, indicating that the upscaled model is robust with respect to well settings. This suggests that one can use upscaled models generated from our procedure to mitigate computational demands in important applications such as well-control optimization.
Simultaneous and Sequential Estimation of Optimal Placement and Controls of Wells With a Covariance Matrix Adaptation Algorithm
Authors: Forouzanfar Fahim , Poquioma Walter E. , Reynolds Albert C.
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we present both simultaneous and sequential algorithms for the joint optimization of well trajectories and their life-cycle controls. The trajectory of a well is parameterized in terms of six variables that define a straight line in three dimensions. In the simultaneous joint optimization algorithm, the set of controls of a well throughout the life cycle of the reservoir is constructed as a linear combination of the left singular vectors that correspond to the largest singular values of a specified temporal covariance matrix. This covariance matrix is used to impose a temporal correlation on the controls at each well. In this approach, well controls are parameterized in terms of a few optimization parameters to reduce the dimension of the joint optimization problem. Moreover, the imposed smoothness on the well controls will result in temporally smooth well controls. We use an implementation of the covariance matrix adaptation–evolution strategy (CMA-ES) optimization algorithm to solve the defined optimization problem. In the sequential optimization algorithm, first, the trajectories of the wells are optimized with the CMA-ES optimization algorithm whereas the controls of the wells are prespecified. After the optimum trajectories of the wells are obtained, the life-cycle production optimization step is performed to find the optimal well controls for the specified well trajectories. For the production optimization step, we compare the performance of three optimization algorithms that are the standard ensemble-based optimization algorithm (EnOpt), the standard CMA-ES algorithm, and a variant of the CMA-ES algorithm in which we set the initial covariance matrix equal to a prespecified covariance that imposes a temporal correlation on the controls of each well. The performance of the proposed algorithms is tested for the joint optimization of well trajectories and controls of injectors and producers for the PUNQ reservoir model. The proposed simultaneous well placement/well control optimization algorithm obtained better results than did the sequential optimization framework. The CMA-ES algorithm performed well for both well placement and production optimization purposes. Moreover, the CMA algorithm with a prespecified covariance that imposes a temporal correlation on the well controls obtained a higher net present value compared with EnOpt for the life-cycle production optimization step of the sequential framework.
A Method for Optimizing Jet-Mill-Bit Hydraulics in Horizontal Drilling
Authors: Chen Xuyue , Gao Deli , Guo Boyun
Published: October 2015

Efficient cuttings transport is a major challenge in horizontal drilling; one can use a new type of jet-mill bit to overcome the challenge fundamentally. However, currently, there is no available method for optimizing jet-mill-bit hydraulics, which restricts the jet-mill bit from being widely used. In this paper, on the basis of the high-pressure water-jet comminution and jet-pump theory, a basic performance model of the jet-mill bit is developed. Then, the optimal parameter model for the jet-mill bit is presented according to the multivariable limitation theory; meanwhile, a method for optimizing jet-mill-bit hydraulics is also developed. With the method, one can determine the optimal jet-mill-bit hydraulics. Theoretical analysis and discussion show that the impact angle and the friction-loss coefficient are the key factors affecting the efficiency of the jet-mill bit; the impact angle is suggested to be set at approximately 70 ° and the optimal flow-rate ratio at appoximately 1.0; and the effect of rate of penetration (ROP, m/h) is not obvious, and one can ignore it. The optimal area ratio is almost not related to friction-loss coefficient and ROP, but it is related to the impact angle significantly. It provides drilling engineers a practical tool for determining the optimal jet-mill-bit hydraulics in horizontal drilling and promotes the jet-mill bit to be widely used.
Beef cattle welfare - risks and assurance
Authors: Ostojic-Andric D. , Aleksic S. , Petrovic M.M. , Pantelic V. , Stanisic N. , Caro-Petrovic V. , Niksic D. , Petricevic M.
Published: October 2015

Beef production is widespread all over the world but the legislation
regarding welfare area of beef cattle is not specifically addressed and
fully implemented. Beef cattle welfare assurance affects not only animals
but is also a question of ethics and products quality. Today, it is possible
to determine welfare quality state in feedlots through relevant methodology
such is Welfare Quality? Assessment Protocol applied to fattening cattle. It
enables implementation of improvement strategy regarding identified risks
and causes of poor welfare. Different literature sources, based on welfare
risk assessment, indicate major welfare problems in cattle kept for beef
production. According to them, respiratory diseases are usually linked to
overstocking, inadequate ventilation, mixing of animals and failure of early
diagnosis and treatment. In addition, digestive disorders are associated
with intensive concentrate feeding, lack of physically effective fibre in
the diet whilst behavioral disorders comes as a consequence of inadequate
floor space, and commingling in the feedlot. Particular welfare problems are
related to the implementation of animal husbandry methods-mutilation, which
expose animals to pain and suffering. This paper gives a review of most
important beef cattle welfare topics including recommendations for its
assurance and improvement.
Comparative testing of slaughter traits and meat quality of male and female Simmental cattle
Authors: Petricevic M. , Aleksic S. , Stanisic N. , Niksic D. , Stanojkovic A. , Petricevic V. , Gogic M. , Mandic V.
Published: October 2015

The paper presents the results of comparative testing of slaughter traits and
meat quality of male (A) and female (B) young cattle of domestic Simmental
breed. The sample included a total of 30 heads, 15 in each group. Cattle were
slaughtered at the same age with an average mass of about 660 kg in the group
(A), and about 500 kg in the group (B). The study results show that cattle of
group (A) achieved statistically (p<0.001) significantly higher share of pre
slaughter mass and mass of warm carcass sides while female cattle achieved
statistically (p<0.01) significantly higher share of kidney fat. The share of
tissues in the three rib cut showed statistical differences between the
groups, in the share of the M. longissimus dorsi that was statistically
(p<0.05) significantly higher in male cattle and the share of fat was
statistically (p<0.01) significantly higher in group (B). The chemical
composition of M. longissimus dorsi statistically (p<0.05) differed
significantly in the share of water which was higher in male cattle while the
cattle of group (B) had statistically (p<0.01) significantly higher share of
lipids. As for the technological quality, cooking loss of M. longissimus
dorsi was statistically (p<0.01) significantly higher in young cattle of
group (A), while the tenderness/softness of M. longissimus dorsi (p<0.01) was
significantly better in young cattle of group (B). Sensory characteristics of
M. longissimus dorsi differed statistically (p<0.001) significantly in the
tenderness of the meat that was better in young cattle of group (B). Male
Simmental cattle had better slaughter performance and meat quality
characteristics, except tenderness of meat which was better in female cattle.
Ejaculate properties and reproductive efficiency of large white boars during exploitation
Authors: Savic R. , Petrovic M. , Radojkovic D. , Radovic C. , Parunovic N. , Popovac M. , Gogic M.
Published: October 2015

The main objective of this study was to assess the variability of ejaculate
properties: volume of ejaculate (VOL, ml), sperm concentration (CON,
spermatozoa/ml), total sperm count (NT) and the number of doses produced
(NPD) per ejaculate under the influence of season, boar and the interval
between two mounts. Reproductive efficiency of boars was analysed based on
the farrowing rate (FR). The study included 341 ejaculates from seven Large
White boars. Impact assessment was carried out by applying the GLM procedure
of the statistical package SAS 9.1.3. The average values of VOL, CON, NT, NPD
and FR were: 244.28 ml, 203.77x106 spermatozoa/ml, 43.48x109 spermatozoa,
17.39 doses and 67.58%. Ejaculate properties varied under the influence of
season (P<0.01, P<0.001). The interval between two mounts did not affect only
the variability of CON. The difference between the best and worst boars was
91.99x106 spermatozoa/ml of ejaculate (P<0.001). During summer VOL ejaculate
was the lowest (191.36 ml). The highest NPD (19.04 doses) was produced during
the autumn months, and during the same period the highest concentration of
sperm was recorded (242.16x106 spermatozoa/ml). Regardless of the differences
in the farrowing rate between boars not being statistically significant
(P=0.0882), it is necessary to perform the ranking and promptly identify
boars with farrowing rate below average.
Darwinian demons and the logic of scientific discovery
Authors: Kamerer Eva
Published: October 2015

The purpose of this article is to show that the local frames of scientific
discoveries that allow only limited generalizations are not necessarily an
obstacle to the construction of a methodology of scientific discovery and
that our understanding of scientific rationality need not be limited to
Reichenbachian context of justification. The subject of the analysis is one
of the most important discoveries in evolutionary biology, the discovery of
the evolutionary mechanism of aging. I aim to show how the use of mental
modeling was significant to this discovery. I also consider the question
whether the case studies can help us understand scientific discovery in
general.
Normative rational choice theory: Past, present, and future
Authors: Krstic Bojan , Krstic Milos
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we have tried to explain the normative turn in more recent
work on experimental economics and behavioral economics. In section two, we
discussed the various arguments that philosophers have offered in related to
a normative interpretation of rational choice theory. We used the
Friedman-Savage work on Expected Utility Theory as an example of the
differences between the way that economists and philosophers see rational
choice theory. We concluded that economists have traditionally equated the
normative with ethically. In the third part, we examined the results of
experimental and behaviorial economic literature with emphasis on the
influence of experimental psychology. We presented a number of empirical
anomalies and we agreed that representatives of economic psychology tend to
view rational choice theory as a normative theory of rationality. In the last
part, we examined some of the causes and consequences of the normative turn.
The significance of evolutionary explanation of altruism for the understanding of morality
Authors: Berber Andrea
Published: October 2015

In this paper I discuss the question whether the evolutionary explanation of
altruistic behavior can help understanding the emergence of morality in human
species. Two models of evolution of the altruistic behaviour are presented -
the Hamilton?s model of kin selection and the Trivers? model of reciprocal
altruism.Then, I point out some limitations of these models when applied to
human behaviour. I consider the social life of primates and call attention to
the limited extent of primate altruistic behaviour. I emphasize that the
capacity of normative guidance of behaviour, which is essential feature of
morality, is not present in social life of primates. I conclude that models
for evolution of altruism and studies of primate social life can be useful
for understanding the origins of social behavior in general, but can not
offer a complete picture of the emergence of morality.
Sensitive ablation of brittle materials with pulsed CO2 laser radiation
Authors: Meyer Bernd-Jürgen , Staupendahl Gisbert , Müller Frank A. , Gräf Stephan
Published: October 2015

The interaction process between pulsed CO2 laser radiation and glass was studied systematically. The concept of the structuring process is related to an absorption-controlled ablation of small elementary material volumes with reduced melt formation, the so-called elementary volume ablation (EVA). For this purpose, suitable pulse parameters were predicted on the basis of the optical and thermal materials properties. These pulses with durations as low as 10 μs and a peak power of up to 600 W were generated using a specific arrangement consisting of a commercially available continuous CO2 laser of high beam quality and a cascade of two interference laser beam modulators. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, white light interferometry, and tactile profilometry were used to investigate the influence of the CO2 laser pulse parameters on the processing quality. The results obtained from the ablation of borosilicate glass (Borofloat33) and 100 μm thick sheets of cerium doped borosilicate glass demonstrate that the EVA method is a suitable approach to select an appropriate range of processing parameters for a high precision thermal ablation of glass without microcrack formation.
Validation of the Italian Version of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations—Short Version among Hospital-Based Nurses
Authors: Pisanti Renato , Melchiori Francesco Maria , Lombardo Caterina , Sagliano Teresa , Violani Cristiano , Lazzari Lavinia , Lazzari David
Published: October 2015

The psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations–Short Version (CISS-SV-21 items) were tested. In a group of 1,291 hospital-based nurses (77.8% women), four alternative factor models of the CISS–SV were tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The four models were: M1, the original CISS-SV-21 items three-factor model corresponding to three dimensions (task-oriented, emotion-oriented, and avoidance-oriented coping); M2, the four-factor model corresponding to four dimensions (task-oriented, emotion-oriented, contact a friend-oriented, and treat oneself-oriented) of the CISS–SV (21 items); M3, the three-factor model of the CISS–SV (20 items) made up by the same factor structure of M1 without including Item 1; finally, the four-factor M4 of the CISS–SV (20 items), consisting of the same dimensions of the M2 model without including Item 1. The results of the CFA showed that the M4 factor model was the model that was best able to account for the data (RMSEA=0.06, 90% CI=0.05, −0.06; CFI = 0.90). Reliability was supported by alphas ranging from .72 to .82. The CISS–SV has acceptable validity and reliability for measuring the coping strategies of nurses.
A New Instrumental/Operant Conditioning Technique Suitable for Inquiry-Based Activities in Courses on Experimental Psychology, Learning, and Comparative Psychology Using Planaria (Dugesia Dorotocephala and Dugesia Tigrina)
Authors: Chicas-Mosier Ana M. , Abramson Charles I.
Published: October 2015

This paper introduces a novel approach to teaching instrumental/operant conditioning to students using planarians. Planarians are shaped to move increasingly longer distances along the edge of a petri dish to search for water. The procedure can be done within approximately 30 to 60 min., is easy to replicate, and control animals not trained to seek out water will exhibit non-directional behavior consisting of several starts and stops and turns. In addition to learning about basic operant conditioning principles, students learn such important skills as shaping, patience, observation, consistency, and timing. The majority of students reported that the activity was enjoyable but sometimes frustrating. The exercise is appropriate for a wide range of classes including animal behavior, comparative psychology, experimental psychology, learning, and history of psychology.
Extending the Assessment of Technology-Aided Programs to Support Leisure and Communication in People with Acquired Brain Injury and Extensive Multiple Disabilities
Authors: Lancioni Giulio E. , Singh Nirbhay N. , O'Reilly Mark F. , Sigafoos Jeff , Buonocunto Francesca , D'Amico Fiora , Quaranta Sara , Navarro Jorge , Lanzilotti Crocifissa , Colonna Fabio
Published: October 2015

Intervention programs for people with acquired brain injury and extensive motor and communication impairment need to be diversified according to their characteristics and environment. These two studies assessed two technology-aided programs for supporting leisure (i.e., access to songs and videos) and communication (i.e., expressing needs and feelings and making requests) in six of those people. The three people participating in Study 1 did not possess speech but were able to understand spoken and written sentences. Their program presented leisure and communication options through written phrases appearing on the computer screen. The three people participating in Study 2 did not possess any speech and were unable to understand spoken or written language. Their program presented leisure and communication options through pictorial images. All participants relied on a simple microswitch response to enter the options and activate songs, videos, and communication messages. The data showed that the participants of both studies learned to use the program available to them and to engage in leisure and communication independently. The importance of using programs adapted to the participants and their environment was discussed.
The Effect of Intimacy and Status Discrepancy on Salient and Non-Salient Conflict Strategies of Japanese
Authors: Nakatsugawa Satomi , Takai Jiro
Published: October 2015

It has been claimed that Japanese people prefer passive forms of conflict strategies to preserve interpersonal harmony. This study aimed to identify some conditions in which such passive strategies are used. The effects of target intimacy and status discrepancy on the intent and use of salient and non-salient conflict strategies were examined, along with respondent sex differences. Questionnaires were collected from 205 Japanese university students. Results indicated that women were more likely to have non-salient intents than men and that intimacy affected considerateness intent but not avoidance intent. Active non-salient strategy was affected by status while passive non-salient strategy was affected by intimacy. Overall, target characteristics proved to be a strong factor in the intents and strategies employed in conflict situations of Japanese.
Hangul: A Fascinating Writing System. A Comment on Kwon, Nam, and Lee (2015)
Authors: Zagar Daniel
Published: October 2015

In a recent article, Kwon, Nam, and Lee (2015) did not replicate the influence of syllable orthographic frequency on the inhibitory syllable frequency effect. Two reasons can account for this result. First, parsing syllables is not difficult in Hangul. Second, the pronunciation of the first syllable of the word stimulus was likely ambiguous.
Early Childhood Education Majors' Self-Efficacy for Teaching Fundamental Motor Skills
Authors: Altunsöz Irmak Hürmeriç
Published: October 2015

Early childhood education majors' ( N = 83) perceived self-efficacy for teaching fundamental motor skills (FMS) were examined. An experimental group ( n = 49) enrolled in a 14-wk. physical education and games course and 34 students made up a comparison group. A perceived self-efficacy questionnaire on teaching FMS was applied for both groups before and after the physical education and games course. The 14-wk. course improved early childhood majors' self-efficacy for teaching FMS.