bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trajectory of MS disease course for men and women over three eras
Authors: Hum Stanley , Lapierre Yves , Scott Susan C , Duquette Pierre , Mayo Nancy E
Published: July 2016

Background:

Heterogeneity in disease course exists within multiple sclerosis (MS) subtypes.

Objective:

The objective was to estimate disease course heterogeneity over three distinct onset periods (pre-1995, 1995–2004, and 2005–present) for men and women.

Methods:

Group-based trajectory model (GBTM) was used to estimate clusters of patients following stable or unstable disease progression trajectories based on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Inception cohorts were generated from the Montreal Neurological Institute MS Clinic registry. Stable trajectories were defined as an EDSS ⩽3.0 and change ⩽1 point over the study period. Annualized relapse rate (ARR) based on the first 5 years of disease was an explanatory variable.

Results:

Proportion of women classified as stable was 0% for pre-1995, 69.0% for 1995–2004, and 83.9% post-2005; for men, these proportions were 18.4%, 41.4%, and 53.8%, respectively. Men had lower percentage of stable disease than women in both post-1995 cohorts (chi-square p < 0.0001). ARR was associated with higher disability trajectories in both post-1995 cohort (odds ratios >1.0) but not in the pre-1995 cohort.

Conclusion:

Large proportions of patients remain stable at their initial disability level for at least 15 years. Higher ARR increases the odds of patients being in a higher disability trajectory in the latter cohorts.
The main determinants effecting international visitor arrivals in New Zealand
Authors: Gani Azmat , Clemes Michael D.
Published: July 2016

This study examines the main determinants of international visitor arrivals in New Zealand in light of New Zealand’s major earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 as well as the global financial crisis of 2007. Our results provide strong evidence that visitor origin country per capita incomes, relative prices, real exchange rates, the distance between New Zealand and its main visitor origin countries and New Zealand’s record of good governance are statistically significant determinants of visitor arrivals to New Zealand. Our findings also reveal a negative but statistically insignificant effect of the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011on visitor arrivals to New Zealand. Our findings do not provide any significant regressive effect of the global financial crisis on visitor arrivals to New Zealand.
Response of irregular lightly reinforced concrete frame structures in low seismic zones
Authors: Rezavandi Arash , Fu Chung C
Published: July 2016

This article evaluates the performance of lightly reinforced concrete frames in low seismic zones. The frames under evaluation contain vertical and/or plane irregularities and are designed for gravity loads only. Nonlinear time history analysis using scaled ground motions and pushover procedure as a supplemental method is performed in this study. With the adoption of plastic hinge method, damage levels are addressed according to FEMA 356 definitions. The pivot model is considered for hysteresis behavior. The damage stage and number of formed hinges are classified for the beams and columns. A comparison between models demonstrates while the first story height may suffer minor to moderate damage levels even under low seismic intensity, the severity of damage to the asymmetric plan models can be noticeable. The pushover method results are close to that of time history analysis only for the vertical irregular frames without plane irregularity.
Peer review as a strategy for improving students’ writing process
Authors: Baker Kimberly M
Published: July 2016

Peer review is an established strategy for improving the quality of students’ writing. This study moves beyond the focus on outcomes to assess the peer-review process. In particular, this study focuses on the timing of the peer review, a highly structured feedback form, and student writers’ revisions after engaging in peer review. This study draws from a peer-review assignment conducted over 3 years in upper-division, discipline-specific courses. The data reveal these strategies force students to begin writing earlier in the semester, help the students offer formative feedback to their peers, and encourage students to substantially revise their drafts before submitting the final paper. This study reveals the importance of assessing the peer-review process.
Understanding the structure of musical compositions: Is visualization an effective approach?
Authors: De Prisco Roberto , Malandrino Delfina , Pirozzi Donato , Zaccagnino Gianluca , Zaccagnino Rocco
Published: July 2016

Experienced musicians have the ability to understand the structural elements of music compositions. Such an ability is built over time through the study of music theory, the understanding of rules that guide the composition of music, and countless hours of practice. The learning process is hard, especially for classical music, where the rigidity of the music structures and styles requires great effort to understand, assimilate, and then master the learned notions. In particular, we focused our attention on a specific type of music compositions, namely, music in chorale style (four-voice music). Composing such type of music is often perceived as a difficult task because of the rules the composer has to adhere to. In this article, we propose a visualization technique that can help people lacking a strong knowledge of music theory. The technique exploits graphic elements to draw the attention on the possible errors in the composition. We then developed an interactive system, named VisualMelody, that employs the proposed visualization technique to facilitate the understanding of the structure of music compositions. The aim is to allow people to make four-voice music composition in a quick and effective way, that is, avoiding errors, as dictated by classical music theory rules. We have involved 40 people in testing VisualMelody in order to analyze its effectiveness, its usability, and the overall user satisfaction. We partitioned the people involved in the evaluation study into two groups evenly splitting the musical expertise. Then, we had one group use VisualMelody without the visualization facilities and the other using the tool enhanced with our visualization. On average, people in the group that used our visualization were 60% faster and produced music with less errors.
Liberalism between Politics and Epistemology: A Discussion of Alessandro Ferrara’s The Democratic Horizon: Hyperpluralism and the Renewal of Political Liberalism
Authors: Ferrara Alessandro , Ivković Marjan , Lončar Jelena , Prodanović Srđan , Simeunović Bojana
Published: July 2016

In this symposium, Alessandro Ferrara’s recent book The Democratic Horizon: Hyperpluralism and the Renewal of Political Liberalism – an attempt to expand the framework of Rawls’ political liberalism in order to enable it to meet the challenge of today’s hyperpluralism – is discussed from a variety of angles by four contributors. Among the themes addressed are the potential of political liberalism for grounding a critical attitude; the different potential for accommodation offered by political liberalism for religious and moral, as opposed to economic, pluralism; Rawls’ implicit understanding of truth; the prospects of true democracy in ethnically divided societies that embrace consociationalist and particularly consensualist forms of governance; and the proper role of human rights in paths from decency to democracy from the perspective of an expanded political liberalism. In the final section, Alessandro Ferrara replies to his critics and accepts some of their suggestions.
Don’t Be a Loser
Authors: Elmer Greg , Todd Paula
Published: July 2016

Seen through the lens of Republican candidate Donald Trump’s reality TV program ‘The Apprentice,’ his promise to American voters that they’ll tire of “winning” under his regime takes on a darker meaning. This article identifies ‘the loser’ as a potent new political symbol emblematic of ‘contestants’ who in the face of mathematical loss become ‘bigger’ losers if they fail to assert their right to a non-meritorious victory. The fact of one’s loss is not as important as one’s reaction to it. To lose is possible, but to be a ‘loser’ is the ultimate humiliation that justifies taking extreme, even immoral measures. Contestants who are willing to ‘do anything’ to win are rewarded more generously often than those who, in reality, are the rightful winners. Such a perspective rationalizes a politics of exaggerations, lies and defamation. Extending Couldry and Littler’s discourse of passion, we identify the mechanism that enables and compels some voters to embrace Trump’s divisive politics of ‘otherism’ as astute ‘game playing.’ In Trump’s world, to win means many more must lose. Just as in the reality TV world, however, Trump alone holds the power to annoint winners and exile losers, meaning there is no guarantee of success for anyone but him.
Zinc oxide nano particles coating on polyester fabric functionalized through alkali treatment
Authors: Nourbakhsh Shirin , Montazer Majid , khandaghabadi Zoha
Published: July 2016

In recent years, zinc oxide nano particles coating on textiles such as polyester is considered because of UV blocking and self-cleaning properties. Alkaline hydrolysis of polyester is a method in textile industry for surface treatment in large scale to enhance wettability. In the present work, polyester fabric was treated with sodium hydroxide, then was coated with ZnO nano particles, and also polyester fabric was treated with sodium hydroxide and ZnO nano particles at the same time. The bending length, water adsorption time, bactericidal properties, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and self-cleaning effect were measured according to the standard methods. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis were used for the study of surface morphology and surface chemical bonding. The results demonstrated that increasing of zinc oxide nano particles concentration increased bending length, water adsorption time, antibacterial and self-cleaning effect. Comparing with pre-alkaline and simultaneous alkali treatment showed that pre-alkaline-treated fabric had more zinc oxide nano particles, therefore more self-cleaning and bactericidal effect. The scanning electron microscopy of alkaline-treated polyester fabric showed surface hydrolysis and nano-particles on the surface of polyester, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectroscopy indicated chemical bonding.
Thermal insulation properties of hybrid textile reinforced biocomposites from food packaging waste
Authors: Hassanin Ahmed H , Candan Zeki , Demirkir Cenk , Hamouda Tamer
Published: July 2016

Due to the significant and harmful effect of the global warming on our communities, health, and climate, the usage of thermal insulation material in building is must to decrease the energy consumption and to improve energy efficiency. On the other hand, the utilization of waste and biomass resources for developing new bio-based composite materials is attracting much attention for the environmental and socioeconomics. Therefore, in this study, thermal insulation bio-based composite panels from Tetra Pak® waste and wool fiber waste with different ratios were manufactured. Likewise, other sandwich bio-based composite panels were manufactured using Tetra Pak waste as a core material with glass woven fabric and jute wove fabric as skin materials. Thermal conductivity and thermal resistance results showed a significant improvement on thermal insulation properties of the developed biocomposite panels compared to the control samples made of plain Tetra Pak®.
Depression, Type 2 Diabetes, and Poststroke Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Swardfager Walter , MacIntosh Bradley J.
Published: July 2016

Background. Ten percent of stroke survivors develop dementia, which increases to more than a third after recurrent stroke. Other survivors develop less severe vascular cognitive impairment. In the general population, depression, and diabetes interact in predicting dementia risk, and they are both prevalent in stroke. Objective. To assess the cumulative association of comorbid depressive symptoms and type 2 diabetes with cognitive outcomes among stroke survivors. Methods. Multicenter observational cohort study of people within 6 months of stroke. Depression and cognitive status were screened using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), respectively. Processing speed, executive function and memory were assessed using the Trail Making Test parts A and B, and the 5 Word Delayed Free Recall task. Results. Among 342 participants (age 67.0 ± 13.5 years, 43.3% female, 46 ± 35 days poststroke), the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 32.2% and depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥16) were found in 40.6%. Diabetes and depressive symptoms increased the risk of severe cognitive impairment (MoCA <20) with adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.12 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20-3.74, P = .010) for 1 comorbidity and OR 3.18 (95% CI 1.26-8.02, P = .014) for both comorbidities. Associated cognitive deficits included executive function ( F1, 168 = 3.43, P = .035) but not processing speed ( F1, 168 = 1.86, P = .16) or memory ( F1, 168 = 0.82, P = .44). Conclusions. Diabetes and depressive symptoms were associated cumulatively with poorer cognitive screening outcomes poststroke, particularly deficits in executive function. Having 1 comorbidity doubled the odds of screening for severe cognitive impairment, having both tripled the odds.
Exploring the Influence of CEO Extraversion and Openness to Experience on Firm Performance
Authors: Araujo-Cabrera Yazmina , Suarez-Acosta Miguel A. , Aguiar-Quintana Teresa
Published: July 2016

Research about the impact of the CEO’s personality on firm-level outcomes has been ambiguous, partly because the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Given that the individuals most strongly influenced by a firm’s CEO are the top management team (TMT) members, this study focuses on the CEO–TMT interface as a salient intervening relationship. We hypothesize that CEO personality traits of extraversion and openness to experience would influence firm performance indirectly through TMT behavioral integration (TMT teamness). Using multisource survey data from 138 small- to medium-sized firms, we test and find general support for a mediation model in which the CEO’s personality traits are positively related to TMT behavioral integration, which, in turn, enhances firm performance. Limitations and implications for future research are also discussed.
The pragmatic clinical trial in a learning health care system
Authors: Lewis Roger J
Published: July 2016

Background/aims

A learning health care system ideally incorporates the ability to adapt to the pace of change, the incorporation of new clinical research paradigms, and leverages electronic health record systems and clinical decision support systems to narrow the divide between research and clinical practice.

Methods

An adaptive clinical trial can be embedded into the sites and practice of clinical care in a highly pragmatic way to simultaneously generate high-quality data on treatment efficacy and improve the care of patients. This approach can be expanded into a pragmatic platform trial, meaning a trial that is intended to evaluate multiple treatments for a disease or diseases, possibly in combination, and with the available treatments potentially changing over time. This strategy is illustrated using a trial currently being implemented in Europe and funded by the European Union, evaluating three different “domains” of treatments for patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia requiring intensive care.

Results

Simulation studies demonstrate that this approach has the potential to save lives while identifying the best treatment strategies for this critically ill population.

Conclusion

Patients are likely to benefit if we can merge clinical trials and decision support into a single continuous learning process.
Remembering the past and imagining the future: Identifying and enhancing the contribution of episodic memory
Authors: Schacter Daniel L , Madore Kevin P
Published: July 2016

Recent studies have shown that imagining or simulating future events relies on many of the same cognitive and neural processes as remembering past events. According to the constructive episodic simulation hypothesis, such overlap indicates that both remembered past and imagined future events rely heavily on episodic memory: future simulations are built on retrieved details of specific past experiences that are recombined into novel events. An alternative possibility is that commonalities between remembering and imagining reflect the influence of more general, non-episodic factors such as narrative style or communicative goals that shape the expression of both memory and imagination. We consider recent studies that distinguish the contributions of episodic and non-episodic processes in remembering the past and imagining the future by using an episodic specificity induction—brief training in recollecting the details of a past experience—and also extend this approach to the domains of problem solving and creative thinking. We conclude by suggesting that the specificity induction may target a process of event or scene construction that contributes to episodic memory as well as to imagination, problem solving, and creative thinking.
Prospection, well-being and memory
Authors: MacLeod Andrew K
Published: July 2016

Prospection (mental representation of the future) is an aspect of imagination that has recently become a focus of attention for researchers on memory. Evidence from a variety of sources points to episodic memory and future-thinking as being very closely linked and both are connected to well-being and mental health. This article provides an overview of some key findings linking episodic memory, future-thinking and well-being. Similarities and differences between episodic memories for the past and thoughts about the future are reviewed. It is suggested that the uncertainty inherent in future-thinking implies a greater role for semantic memory in how people think about the future compared to how they remember the past. Understanding how semantic and episodic knowledge combine to create representations about the future has the potential to help elucidate ways in which people experiencing psychological distress think about the future.
Personal memory: Is it personal, is it memory?
Authors: Dudai Yadin , Edelson Micah G
Published: July 2016

Recollection of personal events is a major activity of the human mind and is considered essential for maintaining the cohesiveness of the self-concept. Yet evidence from cognitive psychology and brain research converge to raise doubts concerning the veridicality of the events recalled. Furthermore, even information encoded and recalled correctly seems to be prone to significant and long-lasting distortion by exposure to new input at the time of retrieval. A major source of such new input is inter-personal. From early infancy, we tend to look to others as a primary source of information and may reevaluate our own perceptions, preferences, and memories when they contradict a larger consensus. Circuits in our brain can modify our memory in response to such information even under conditions in which our original memory is accurate and our confidence is strong. Part of what we believe we know is in fact a product of the amalgamation of the internal representations originating in multiple brains. Personal memory may hence be considered conceptually as a node in a highly distributed multi-dimensional memory space, in which the contribution of the individual is only part of an informational syncytium that transcends the personal. This may provide our species with a phylogenetic advantage ensuring that, on one hand, accumulated information can be fitted to the real-time requirements of the locale, but on the other hand, that the storage capacity and availability of information markedly exceeds the capacity and the life span of the individual brain. In consequence, however, individuals may be unreliable narrators of their own history.
The poverty of resilience: On memory, meaning, and well-being
Authors: Olick Jeffrey K
Published: July 2016

Along with risk and trauma, resilience and well-being are key terms for understanding and responding to disaster and suffering in the contemporary world. This article not only explores how memory can be brought into the discourse of post-disaster resilience but also critiques the very language of resilience and well-being as part of an ideological cluster with problematic implications. Resilience is a peculiarly modern form of theodicy, an explanation of misery and suffering that seeks to make sense of these fundamental, but ultimately inexplicable, human experiences. To demonstrate the limits of therapeutic discourse, the article explores Jean Amèry’s account of resentment as well as Emmanuel Levinas’ concept of “useless suffering.” Placing these concepts in the longer discourse about theodicy, the article argues for a wary contextualization of the discourse on resilience, which risks exacerbating exactly that which it seeks to aid.
Religious memory, between orality and writing
Authors: Stroumsa Guy G
Published: July 2016

Since the groundbreaking studies of Maurice Halbwachs, all written before the end of the World War II, it seems that only small progress has been made toward a better understanding of “religious memory,” a concept coined by him. Mainly basing myself upon early Christianity (Halbwachs’ field of predilection), I argue here that one can distinguish between two kinds of religious memory: implicit and explicit religious memory. This double nature of religious memory seems to reflect the two modes of religiosity described by the anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse and of course the two systems of memory, semantic and episodic. The transformations of religion itself in late antiquity, with the passage from a society mainly based on oral traditions to one established on scriptures and their written exegesis, show how these two systems of religious memory function together, complementing one another.
Memory, imagination and the human spirit
Authors: Welker Michael
Published: July 2016

Learning from economic theory, the article proposes to differentiate and relate (episodic) micro-memory and micro-imagination and different types of macro-memory and macro-imagination. Drawing on several decades of discourse in historical and cultural studies (from Halbwachs to Lévi-Strauss and to A. and J. Assmann), it differentiates between communicative, cultural, collective and canonical memories. With reference to basic processes of moral communication and a more complex understanding of the human spirit than the one offered in the long tradition of post-Aristotelian thought, it sketches a route towards relating micro- and macro-memories and normative imaginations.
Envisioning Public Sector Pathways: Gauteng as an Entrepreneurial Province in South Africa
Authors: Bbenkele Edwin , Madikiza L.
Published: July 2016

This article, taken from the outlook report, propagates the idea of an entrepreneurial state in South Africa’s Gauteng province. The global economy is reeling from an aftermath of two global recessionary events: the 2008 financial crisis and, more recently, the 2016 Eurozone crisis, which was triggered by public sector debt in Greece. These events have thrust the role of the state into the forefront, as various economies in the world look to their governments to quell the consequences of economic pressures. As efforts mount to solve the issue of public sector debt, most notably in the Eurozone, this is also fuelling contemplations elsewhere on the need for governments to navigate with caution on their spending and operational ways so as to steer clear from the murky waters of indebtedness. If the inner workings of the South African nation state must be relooked or if there may even be drastic attempts to do major reconstructive surgery on how the state operates, then this report attempts to be a contribution to those petitions that would be concerned on reorienting the state.

This article reviews the entrepreneurial approach needed to be adopted by government institutions to contribute to provincial and, ultimately, national development. Special recommendations are made on how the township economies can be operationalised by the Gauteng province being a ‘smart’ entrepreneurial state.
Analysis of the HLA-DR peptidome from human dendritic cells reveals high affinity repertoires and nonconventional pathways of peptide generation
Authors: Ciudad M Teresa , Sorvillo Nicoletta , van Alphen Floris P , Catalán Diego , Meijer Alexander B , Voorberg Jan , Jaraquemada Dolores
Published: July 2016

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the major professional APCs of the immune system; however, their MHC-II–associated peptide repertoires have been hard to analyze, mostly because of their scarce presence in blood and tissues. In vitro matured human monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs) are widely used as professional APCs in experimental systems. In this work, we have applied mass spectrometry to identify the HLA-DR–associated self-peptide repertoires from small numbers of mature MoDCs (∼5 × 106 cells), derived from 7 different donors. Repertoires of 9 different HLA-DR alleles were defined from analysis of 1319 peptides, showing the expected characteristics of MHC-II–associated peptides. Most peptides identified were predicted high binders for their respective allele, formed nested sets, and belonged to endo-lysosomal pathway-degraded proteins. Approximately 20% of the peptides were derived from cytosolic and nuclear proteins, a recurrent finding in HLA-DR peptide repertoires. Of interest, most of these peptides corresponded to single sequences, did not form nested sets, and were located at the C terminus of the parental protein, which suggested alternative processing. Analysis of cleavage patterns for terminal peptides predominantly showed aspartic acid before the cleavage site of both C- and N-terminal peptides and proline immediately after the cleavage site in C-terminal peptides. Proline was also frequent next to the cut sites of internal peptides. These data provide new insights into the Ag processing capabilities of DCs. The relevance of these processing pathways and their contribution to response to infection, tolerance induction, or autoimmunity deserve further analysis.
Sensor density or sensor sensitivity?
Authors: Campman Xander , Behn Phil , Faber Kees
Published: July 2016

It is widely recognized that image quality can be improved by acquiring seismic data with long offsets, wide azimuths, low frequencies, and dense source and receiver sampling. To achieve this in an affordable way, we see a trend toward single-sensor recording in high-productivity land seismic surveys. Moving away from field arrays has a material effect on requirements for sensors and channels and for the way their performance is specified and displayed. While increased sampling density can compensate for the lack of sampling and noise reduction achieved by field arrays, there is a trade-off in the resultant sensitivity change of the sensor compared to the array and the preamplifier gain setting. Higher sensitivity geophones should be selected and lower preamplifier gain considered for single-sensor surveys. Two measures are introduced to help in finding a balance between adequate sampling and sensor/recorder channel performance at the acquisition design stage. The amplitude spectral density (ASD) expressed in ground-motion units is proposed as a frequency-dependent alternative for root-mean-square (rms) values to evaluate noise properties of the sensor/recorder channel combination. The operating range diagram (ORD) is adopted to offer a more meaningful dynamic-range measure than the instantaneous dynamic range by honoring the differing mathematical properties of signal and noise. The ORD compares full-scale rms values at a range of frequencies with narrowband noise values centered at the same frequencies.
Field experiments with digital sensors
Authors: Criss Jason
Published: July 2016

Digital sensors based on microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology first emerged on the market in the late 1990s and were being utilized on commercial projects as early as 2002. While these sensors were lauded for their unique technical properties, the reviews of their performance have been mixed. In recent years, these sensors have gained new attention due to their low-frequency response, and many fundamental aspects of the digital sensor have undergone dramatic changes as well. These technologies have advanced to the stage that fourth- and fifth-generation technology is now available and showing great promise. In 2015, extensive comparative testing was completed in the open desert, using carefully controlled field experiments to demonstrate differences in the raw responses between digital MEMS sensors and conventional analog sensors in a production environment. Testing results reveal the differences in low-frequency performance of the sensors. This low-frequency response was of limited importance prior to the push for broadband seismic on land. However, with growing recognition of the benefits of broadband acquisition and vibrator sweeps beginning at frequencies as low as 1 Hz, interest is being reignited in the unique properties that set the digital sensor apart from its analog cousins.
Innovations in seismic sensors driven by the search for gravitational waves
Authors: Beker Mark , Campman Xander , van Oven Jules , Walk Wim , Levell Jack , Tang Zijian , Danilouchkine Mike , Smit Dirk , van den Brand Johannes , Koley Soumen , Bader Maria
Published: July 2016

An example is provided of how technology from a seemingly far-removed field of science has found its way into seismic surveying equipment. In order to achieve affordable dense sampling to remove adverse seismic-noise effects from gravitational-wave measurements, autonomous, integrated seismic nodes were developed for flexible deployment around the gravitational-wave detector's key components. The required sensitivity is achieved by utilizing a high-sensitivity, 5 Hz geophone in combination with a low noise recording channel, resulting in a self noise of < 1 ng/√Hz at 1 Hz. This specification is also promising for low-frequency single-sensor passive and active seismic acquisition. Ninety-six nodes were deployed during a field trial to demonstrate various novel passive seismic techniques for subsurface and microearthquake characterization using dense surface arrays. This showed the value of an affordable and practical dense surface array in extracting useful subsurface information from seismic noise and characterizing small earthquakes. The nodes were shown to have the long battery life required to be practical in their intended surveys, showing only 50% battery consumption after a 21-day survey at high-gain setting.
Dense arrays of short streamers for ultrahigh-resolution 3D seismic imaging
Authors: Brookshire Brian N. , Lippus Craig , Parish Abby , Mattox Brandon , Burks Allen
Published: July 2016

Ultrahigh-resolution 3D (UHR3D) seismic systems employing a dense array of short streamers represent a significant advancement in the field of marine seismic data acquisition and are an appropriate choice for many near-surface survey applications. Data comparisons between conventional 3D, reprocessed 3D, high-resolution 2D, and UHR3D seismic data illustrate the benefits of a UHR3D acquisition strategy. Results from a recent study of seeps imaged in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) suggest that UHR3D data can serve as a comprehensive data source for some near-surface geophysical characterizations, satisfying many of the needs often addressed by integrating multiple separate types of survey data.
Distributed vibration sensing for seismic acquisition
Authors: Dean Tim , Brice Tim , Hartog Arthur , Kragh Ed , Molteni Daniele , O'Connell Kevin
Published: July 2016

Distributed vibration sensing (DVS), also known as distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), is a relatively new method for recording seismic data using a standard fiber-optic cable as the sensor. Although the dynamic range and noise floor of DVS systems are currently below those of industry-standard seismic sensors, usable seismic data can be obtained in downhole configurations, as this is the source and receiver configuration at which DVS is most sensitive. The use of DVS for more conventional land and marine seismic acquisition is still some way off. However, the potential benefits of simple, lightweight fiber-optic cables, with fine spatial sampling and the ability to instrument all offsets of any spread, suggest it is worth pursuing these new applications. Permanent reservoir monitoring, particularly for marine environments, represents another application where the simplicity of fiber-optic sensors is attractive. Advances in laser interrogation techniques and signal processing continue to improve the quality of DVS data, increasing its potential applications across the seismic industry.
Ketamine and other glutamate receptor modulators for depression in bipolar disorder in adults
Authors: McCloud Tayla L. , Caddy Caroline , Jochim Janina , Rendell Jennifer M. , Diamond Peter R. , Shuttleworth Claire , Brett Daniel , Amit Ben H. , McShane Rupert , Hamadi Layla , Hawton Keith , Cipriani Andrea
Published: July 2016

There is emerging evidence that glutamatergic system dysfunction might play an important role in the pathophysiology of bipolar depression. This review focuses on the use of glutamate receptor modulators for depression in bipolar disorder.
Ketamine as a rapid antidepressant: the debate and implications
Authors: Ho Roger C. M. , Zhang Melvyn W.
Published: July 2016

Ketamine, a synthetic derivative of phencyclidine, is a commonly misused party drug that is restricted in high-income countries because of its addictive potential. Ketamine is also used as an anaesthetic in human and veterinary medicine. In the 1990s, research using ketamine to study the pathophysiology of schizophrenia was terminated owing to ethical concerns. Recently, controversy surrounding the drug has returned, as researchers have demonstrated that intravenous ketamine infusion has a rapid antidepressant effect and have therefore proposed ketamine as a novel antidepressant. This article debates the question of ketamine as an antidepressant, considering the drug's addictive potential, ethical concerns about prescribing a hallucinogen, the evidence base and motives behind ketamine trials.
Statistical analysis: a practical guide for psychiatrists
Authors: Nikolaou Vasilis
Published: July 2016

This article is a practical guide for psychiatrists who want to apply basic and straightforward statistics in their research. It describes ways of summarising data and provides an overview of statistical tests for comparing patients' characteristics. Measures of association such as correlation and regression are also explained, along with principal components analysis, a method for reducing the dimensionality of data. Explanations are clarified using data from the published studies.
Sovereign Default Risk and Uncertainty Premia
Authors: Pouzo Demian , Presno Ignacio
Published: July 2016

This paper studies how international investors' concerns about model misspecification affect sovereign bond spreads. We develop a general equilibrium model of sovereign debt with endogenous default wherein investors fear that the probability model of the underlying state of the borrowing economy is misspecified. Consequently, investors demand higher returns on their bond holdings to compensate for the default risk in the context of uncertainty. In contrast with the existing literature on sovereign default, we match the bond spreads dynamics observed in the data together with other business cycle features for Argentina, while preserving the default frequency at historical low levels. (JEL E43, E44, F34, G12, G21, H63, O16)
Early Childhood Human Capital and Development
Authors: Schoellman Todd
Published: July 2016

A growing literature stresses the importance of early childhood human capital. I ask whether variation in early childhood investments can help explain cross-country income differences. I provide new empirical evidence: the adult outcomes of refugees are independent of age at arrival to the United States up to age six, despite dramatic improvements in income and environment upon arrival. A standard model is consistent with this finding if parents but not country are important for early childhood development. This finding limits the mechanisms for generating cross-country early childhood human capital differences. I also provide suggestive evidence on parental inputs. (JEL I24, I26, I32, J13, J15, J24, J31)
Stolen bicycles and exploited children: Italian cinema and its relation to the cinema of independent India (1947–1977)
Authors: Coen Carlo
Published: July 2016

The years that follow the end of World War II mark a unique historical-political situation shared by India and Italy. The debate in both nations looks at cinematic neo-realism as the regenerating force capable of leading towards a renewed cultural life after the events of decolonization and partition on the one side, and the disasters of fascism and the destructions of the war on the other. Neo-realism is seen as the best possible choice for intellectuals and film-makers in both countries. The new role of the artist suggested by the works of Italian neo-realism (especially Bicycle Thieves [De Sica, 1948]) is perceived by Indian intellectuals as the right solution for the renewal. This article searches for references and stylistic echoes found in the complex body of Indian cinema. The methodological approach of the article, therefore, relies both on intertextuality and on the analysis of some writings where one finds reference to views and concepts on cinema clearly inspired by the strategies and the ideology of Italian neo-realism.
Pasolini and Third World hunger: An approach to Cinema Novo through La ricotta
Authors: Elduque Albert
Published: July 2016

Among the links between Pier Paolo Pasolini and Brazilian Cinema Novo, one of the most inspiring is the political approach to hunger and consumption. In this text, I analyse this topic to look at how some of the aesthetic ideas in Pasolini’s La ricotta (1963) can also be found in some of the most important films of Cinema Novo. In La ricotta (1963), the irresistible need to eat of a subproletarian interacts and clashes with his responsibilities as an actor in a movie version of the Passion of Christ, so that the film creates a complex network of relations between film shooting, social differences, art, hunger, consumption, time and light, which turns the film set into a space for displaying political relations, differences, exploitation and revolution. The correspondences between these concepts and some aggression techniques of Cinema Novo are numerous and confirm the capacity of Pasolini’s film to project ideas on cinema and politics beyond its particular production context.
Theorizing liminal cinema: Unsettling the transnational spaces of Italian Indian co-productions
Authors: Acciari Monia
Published: July 2016

This article seeks to provide a contribution to the contemporary writing on transnational cinema. By acknowledging the prolific literature that characterizes transnational cinema through specific categories of cultural and societal mobilization, and the writing on crossover cinema, this work aims to enter into a dialogue with the respective authors and propose a less structured approach to transnational mobilization. To study such mobilizations and its complex forms, co-production ventures were used as case studies to highlight the efforts of early international joint endeavours, and more recently, those of outsourcing agencies, as being nodes for changing forms of international collaborations. By focusing on Italian Indian co-produced films, this work situates co-production studies within the literature on transnational cinema, and unsettles fixed cinematic categories in favor of a more mobile and fluid paradigm. Hence, the term Liminal cinema is proposed to critically assess and emphasize the dynamics of the complex phenomenon of transnational cinema-in-motion.
Film Reviews
Authors: Annunziato Sarah , Cristiano Anthony , Benini Stefania , Benini Stefania
Published: July 2016

Media Technology: What Makes it ‘Addictive’?, Anthony Cristiano (2015) Toronto: AC Films with the assistance of University of Toronto Libraries, 85:38 min.

Inside Buffalo, Fred Kudjo Kuwornu (2010) Italy and USA: FKK Filmz, 59 min.

A Self-Conscious Mise-En-Scène. 10 Short Films by Anthony Cristiano, Anthony Cristiano (2008) Halifax and Toronto: AC Films with the assistance of the National Film Board of Canada, AFCOOP, and Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto, 95 min.

A Minute Life with a Movie Camera (1–20), Anthony Cristiano (2014) Toronto: AC Films with the assistance of the Image Arts Centre at Ryerson University, 23:36 min.
Kalecki and Steindl in the Transition to Monopoly Capital
Authors: Toporowski Jan
Published: July 2016

Paul Baran and Paul Sweezy's Monopoly Capital is a classic that has long outlived the conjuncture in American capitalism that it described. In a deep and scholarly way, its authors exposed the deep structure of that capitalism, which determined the dynamics of the system and therefore those "surface" phenomena of unemployment and poverty—symptoms not of any functional malaise in capitalism (the "market failures" beloved by academic economists), but of the very way in which modern capitalism works. The authors of the book may therefore be forgiven for providing only the lightest sketch of the ideas and theories they used in their analysis. In this essay, I try to uncover some of those ideas and theories to show how they represent a shift from the analysis in Sweezy's earlier work the Theory of Capitalist Development, and how the two books are linked to the ideas of Karl Marx in a way that can only be understood through the work of Michał Kalecki and Josef Steindl. Baran and Sweezy knew and admired Kalecki and Steindl and, as I will try to show, continued what might be called Marx's "project" very much in their spirit.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
Efeitos da política nacional de avaliação em larga escala na gestão política e pedagógica de escolas municipais de Porto Alegre: Explorando relações e utilizações
Authors: Ghisleni Ana Cristina , Luce Maria Beatriz
Published: July 2016

O artigo analisa as relações com a avaliação em larga escala estabelecidas por gestores e por professores (integrantes de equipes diretivas e com atuação em sala de aula); e também a forma como este tipo de avaliação é utilizada. Ao confrontar posicionamentos dos dois grupos, cujas falas foram codificadas por meio do software N-Vivo 10, estabelece-se a possibilidade de uma análise quantitativa e qualitativa das manifestações. A noção de recontextualização oferecida por Bernstein (1998, 2003) e os aportes de Dias Sobrinho (1996, 2008) reforçam a compreensão da avaliação a partir de sua dimensão política que extrapola os limites do desempenho e da mensuração. O desenho da pesquisa favorece a confrontação de posicionamentos, interesses, ênfases e apropriações diferenciadas frente à temática, aos instrumentos e aos resultados da avaliação em larga escala; e permite concluir que a compreensão diferenciada frente à política resulta em uma utilização precária e insuficiente da proposta de avaliação externa.
Antropoarchiczna krytyka prywatyzacji konfliktów zbrojnych – aspekty prawne
Authors: Dobrzeniecki Karol
Published: July 2016

Celem artykułu jest dokonanie oceny zjawiska prywatyzacji konfliktów zbrojnych z punktu widzenia teorii nowego prawa globalnego Rafaela Dominga, opartego na założeniach personalistycznych. Od lat dziewięćdziesiątych XX w. ujawniają się tendencje do decentralizacji i delegacji uprawnień państwa do użycia przemocy, zarówno w wymiarze wewnętrznym, jak i międzynarodowym. Na przełomie wieków typowe najemnictwo stało się formułą przestarzałą, niewygodną z punktu widzenia istniejących zakazów w prawie międzynarodowym. Najemnictwo przyjęło postać zinstytucjonalizowaną. Prywatne firmy wojskowe wprowadziły na rynek usług wojskowych standardy korporacyjne. Wielki kapitał pozwolił im poszerzyć zakres świadczonych usług. Artykuł wskazuje, że jednym z głównych zadań teorii konstytucyjnej w XXI w. jest uogólnienie i przeformułowanie pojęcia konstytucji państwa narodowego na potrzeby wypracowania modelu uniwersalnej konstytucji światowej. Autora interesuje odpowiedź na pytanie: Jak przebiega proces globalizacji prawa?, ale także: Czemu globalizacja prawa ma służyć?. W tym celu odwołuje się do antropoarchicznej koncepcji formy rządu dla ludzkości Rafaela Dominga. Wyjątkowość tej koncepcji, przy jednocześnie jej niedookreśloności, polega na nowatorskim pomyśle stworzeniu ładu, który pozwoliłby ogółowi stać się prawdziwym gospodarzem i posiadaczem Ziemi. Prywatne firmy wojskowe przyczyniają się do powstania nowego sektora globalnego bezpieczeństwa, który ulega jurydyzacji. W ocenie autora prawo tworzące się wokół prywatnych firm wojskowych może być uznane za transnarodową lex corrupta, czego głównym powodem jest zredukowanie osobowego wymiaru kontraktorów wojskowych.
Obligacje podporządkowane, wieczyste i przychodowe w Polsce – próba oceny ekonomicznych skutków nowelizacji ustawy o obligacjach
Authors: Wiśniewski Marcin
Published: July 2016

W niniejszym artykule zaprezentowano zmiany dotyczące obligacji nieskarbowych w Polsce, jakie wprowadziła nowelizacja ustawy o obligacjach z 2015 r., oraz podjęto próbę oceny ich ekonomicznych skutków. Nowa ustawa ma wspierać rozwój rynku opisywanych instrumentów finansowych. W tym celu wprowadzono m.in. nowe rodzaje obligacji – podporządkowane i wieczyste. Ponadto dokonano szeregu zmian mających na celu stworzenie warunków prawnych do rozwoju zdefiniowanych w prawie, ale nadal rzadko stosowanych obligacji przychodowych. W niniejszym artykule autor rozważa potencjalne ekonomiczne skutki dokonanych zmian.
Kilka uwag o pokoleniowej sytuacji współczesnej polskiej młodzieży
Authors: Wrzesień Witold
Published: July 2016

Pokoleniowa sytuacja współczesnej polskiej młodzieży jest dość szczególna i stanowi efekt zarówno przemian w skali makro, do których wypada zaliczyć dominację kultury konsumpcyjnego kapitalizmu, szybki skok cywilizacyjny (głównie rozwój technologii komunikacyjnych), globalizację, akcesję do UE, jak i mikro – dotychczas niewystępujące w podobnej skali zmiany wzorów socjalizacyjnych.Na pokoleniową sytuację interesujących nas dzisiaj młodych Polaków (roczniki 1990-1997), przypuszczalnie stanowiących pierwsze kohorty nowej grupy pokoleniowej, składają się przede wszystkim trzy elementy: 1) socjalizacyjne „wykorzenienie z historii”; 2) nieustanne poddawanie niespotykanemu dotychczas, intensywnemu, wieloźródłowemu wpływowi bodźców zewnętrznych oraz 3) fakt, że żyje w świecie zróżnicowanych form uzależnień i ulega im. Warto będzie się wskazanym cechom w najbliższych latach uważnie przyglądać, gdyż odnoszę wrażenie, że pierwszy raz od wielu lat obserwujemy wyraźne znamiona zupełnie nowej jakości młodzieżowej pokoleniowości, i to nie tylko w swoich regionalnych wcieleniach, lecz również w wymiarze globalnym.