bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simplified Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation Based on Switching Schemes with Reduced Switching Frequency and Harmonics for Five Level Cascaded H-Bridge Inverter
Authors: Sirisha B. , Satishkumar Dr. P.
Published: March 2020

This paper presents a simplified control strategy of SVPWM with a three segment switching sequence and 7 segment switch frequency for high power multilevel inverter. In the proposed method, the inverter switching sequences are optimized for minimization of device switching sequence frequency and improvement of harmonic spectrum by using the three most derived switching states and one suitable redundant state for each space vector. The proposed 3-segment sequence is compared with conventional 7-segment sequence similar for five level Cascaded H-Bridge inverter with various values of switching frequencies including very low frequency. The output spectrum of the proposed sequence design shows the reduction of device switching frequency and states current and line voltage. THD this minimizing the filter size requirement of the inverter, employed in industrial applications. Where  sinusoidal output voltage is required.
Mitigation of Selfish Node Attacks in Autoconfiguration of MANETs
Authors: T.R Reshmi. , L Shymala , M.K Sandhya.
Published: March 2020

Mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) are composed of mobile nodes connected by wireless links without using any pre-existent infrastructure. Hence the assigning of unique IP address to the incoming node becomes difficult. There are various dynamic auto configuration protocols available to assign IP address to the incoming nodes including grid based protocol which assigns IP address with less delay and low protocol overhead. Such protocols get affected by presence of either selfish nodes or malicious nodes. Moreover there is no centralized approach to defend against these threats like in wired network such as firewall, intrusion detection system, proxy etc. The selfish nodes are the nodes which receive packet destined to it and drop packet destined to other nodes in order to save its energy and resources. This behavior of nodes affects normal functioning of auto configuration protocol. Many algorithms are available to isolate selfish nodes but they do not deal with presence of false alarm and protocol overhead. And also there are certain algorithms which use complex formulae and tedious mathematical calculations. The proposed algorithm in this paper helps to overcome the attack of selfish nodes effect in an efficient and scalable address auto configuration protocol that automatically configures a network by assigning unique IP addresses to all nodes with a very low protocol overhead, minimal address acquisition delay and computational overhead.
Super Capacitor Electronic Circuit Design for Wireless Charging
Authors: Hameed A. , Abdulrazak Lway Faisal , Aljawary Zaid A.
Published: March 2020

Keeping time as base, a gadget has been proposed, where electrical accessories like Mobiles are charged within a fraction of minutes which is highly efficient and time saver as compared to the present time chargers which take nearly two hours to get fully charged. Objective of this project is to create a circuit which will be charged quickly and wireless. Wireless charging circuit works on the principle of inductive coupling. AC energy has been converted to DC energy through diode rectifier. Oscillator circuit produces high frequency passed by transmitter circuit to transmit magnetic field which is received by receiver circuit. A wireless charging concept with super capacitor will lead to faster charging and long operative life. Here super capacitor is used as a storage device. A Super capacitor has magnificent property, it can charge as well as discharge very quickly and linearly alike battery. The main difference between battery and super capacitor is specific energy, Super capacitor have 10-50 time less than battery.
Depth Estimation from Defocused Images: A Survey
Authors: Kulkarni Jyoti B. , SheelaRani C. M.
Published: March 2020

An important step in 3D data generation is the generation of depth map. Depth map is a black and white image which has exactly the same size of the original captured 2D image that indicates the relative distance of each pixel from the observer to the objects in the real world. This paper presents a survey of Depth Perception from Defocused or blurs images as well as image from motion. The change of distance of the object from the camera has direct relation with the amount of blurring of object in the image. The amount of blurring will be calculated with a comparison in front of the camera directly and can be seen with the changes at gray level around the edges of objects.
Requirement Elicitation Model (REM) in the Context of Global Software Development
Authors: Yaseen Muhammad , Farooq Umar
Published: March 2020

Requirement elicitation is difficult and critical phase of requirement engineering and the case is worst in global software development (GSD). The study is about requirement elicitation in the context of GSD. Development of requirement elicitation model (REM) which can address the factors that have positive impact and the factors that have negative impact during elicitation in GSD. The propose model will give solutions and practices to the challenges during elicitation. Systematic literature review (SLR) and empirical research study will be used for achieving the goals and objectives. The expected results of this study will be REM that will help vendor organizations for better elicitation during GSD.
Automation of DMPS Manufacturing by using LabView &PLC
Authors: Fareeza F. , Rambabu Chunchu , Krishnaveni S. , Kabiso Abel Chernet
Published: March 2020

This Paper is to enable the Siemens (Programmable Logic Control) CPU 313-5A to communicate with the Lab VIEW and to control the process accuracy by image processing. The communication between CPU 313-5A and Lab VIEW is via OPC (OLE for Process Control).Process Accuracy is achieved with the use of Labview Image Processing and Gray Scale matching Pattern. Accuracy in the gray scale matching will purely depend on the calibration of the camera with respect to the corresponding image. The digital output from the labview is communicated to PLC via Ethernet Protocol for the industrial process control. With the use of Labview the dead time while using the normal image vision module in PLC can be minimized. Labview uses the gray scale matching technique which is more accurate than the normal image vision module used in PLC.
Comparative study of the most efficient maximum power point tracking techniques for a photovoltaic system
Authors: Abdel-Qawee I. M. , Hamed H. G. , Nashed Maged N. F. , Yousef Ayman Y. , Hasaneen Khaled M.
Published: March 2020

In Photovoltaic (PV) systems, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is an important challenge which faces this system. In this paper, a comparative study between two high efficient MPPT control techniques is presented. These techniques are based on the incremental conductance (IC) method. The first technique is based on optimized PI-controller gains and the other is based on Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC). The comparison between the algorithms is investigated under different environmental conditions. The comparison criteria which are taken into consideration are: the percentage tracking factor (%TF), the tracking time, the ripple voltage in the steady-state, the dynamic response, and the complexity of implementation.
Enhanced performance of PID load frequency controller for power systems
Authors: Gobinda Padhan Dola , Kumar Tummala Suresh
Published: March 2020

A novel control structure for designing a PID load frequency controller for power systems is presented. The controller with a single tuning parameter is designed based on a desired closed-loop complementary sensitivity function and Pade approximation. Comparative analysis demonstrates that proposed PID controllers improves the settling time and reduces overshoot effectively against small step load disturbances. Also, the performance and robustness of the controllers have been analyzed and compared. Simulation results show significantly improved performances when compared with recent results.
High impedance fault detection in distribution system
Authors: Sekar Kavaskar , Mohanty Nalin Kant
Published: March 2020

High impedance faults (HIFs) present a huge complexity of identification in an electric power distribution network (EPDN) due to their characteristics. Further, the growth of non-linear load adds complexity in HIF detection. One primary challenge of power system engineers is to reliably detect and discriminate HIFs from normal distribution system load and other switching transient disturbances. In this study, a novel HIF detection method is proposed based on the simulation of an accurate model of an actual EPDN study with real data. The proposed method uses current signal alone and does not require voltage signal. Wavelet transform (WT) is used for signal decomposition to extract statistical features and classification of HIF into Non-HIF (NHIF) by Neural Networks (NNs). The simulation study of the proposed method provides good, consistent and powerful protection for HIF.
A novel multilevel inverter with reduced switch count
Authors: Balamurugan C. R. , Vijayalakshmi K.
Published: March 2020

This paper presents a multilevel inverter with reduced number of switches to produce a five level output. PWM technique (pulse width modulation) has been used to trigger the MLI switches. It gives reduced harmonic. This proposed topology is connected with R-load and RL-load. Four signals are generated for switching on the multilevel inverter (MLI) switches by comparing four level triangular waveform with sine wave. In this proposed topology two switches are reduced from the conventional Cascaded five level inverter. The simulation analysis has been done by MATLAB/SIMULINK.
Odd generalized exponential log logistic distribution: A new acceptance sampling plans based on percentiles
Authors: Gadde Srinivasa Rao , Rosaiah K. , Sivakumar D. C. U. , Kalyani K.
Published: March 2020

In this paper, acceptance sampling plans are developed for the odd generalized exponential log logistic distribution based on percentiles when the life test is truncated at a pre-specified (pre-determined) time. The minimum sample size necessary to ensure the specified life percentile is obtained under a given consumer’s risk. The operating characteristic values of the sampling plans as well as the producer’s risk are presented. One example with real data set is also given as an illustration.
On approach for homogeneity increasing of films grown from the gas phase with account natural convection and changes in the rate of chemical interaction between materials
Authors: Pankratov Evgeny L.
Published: March 2020

We analyzed growth of films by gas phase epitaxy. Based on the analysis we formulate conditions to increase of homogeneity of properties of obtained films. We also present an analytical approach for analysis processes framework gas phase epitaxy with account natural convection and the possibility of changing the rate of chemical interaction between reagents.
An efficient quantum multiverse optimization algorithm for solving optimization problems
Authors: Sarvari Samira , Mohd. Sani Nor Fazlida , Mohd Hanapi Zurina , Abdullah Mohd Taufik
Published: March 2020

Due to the recent trend of technologies to use the network-based systems, detecting them from threats become a crucial issue. Detecting unknown or modified attacks is one of the recent challenges in the field of intrusion detection system (IDS). In this research, a new algorithm called quantum multiverse optimization (QMVO) is investigated and combined with an artificial neural network (ANN) to develop advanced detection approaches for an IDS. QMVO algorithm depends on adopting a quantum representation of the quantum interference and operators in the multiverse optimization to obtain the optimal solution. The QMVO algorithm determining the neural network weights based on the kernel function, which can improve the accuracy and then optimize the training part of the artificial neural network. It is demonstrated 99.98% accuracy with experimental results that the proposed QMVO is significantly improved optimization compared with multiverse optimizer (MVO) algorithms.
Cultura visual e falsificação de dinheiro
Authors: Arruda Rogério Pereira de
Published: March 2020

Este artigo discute a falsificação de dinheiro pelo viés da história pessoal de um de seus grandes ícones no século XIX: o fotógrafo Victor Telles. Para tanto, propõe-se um estudo da trajetória do português naturalizado brasileiro e seu envolvimento em acusações de falsificação de dinheiro no Brasil e em Portugal no final do século XIX. Propõe-se compreender a implicação de Victor Telles na falsificação de papel-moeda, tendo em vista a cultura visual vigente e as práticas fotográficas do período.
Tempo e espaço na produção de um território moderno
Authors: Reis Ana Isabel Ribeiro Parente Cortes , Irffi Ana Sara Cortez
Published: March 2020

Nos quarenta dias em que esteve no Ceará a serviço da Estrada de Ferro de Baturité, Francisco Saturnino Rodrigues de Brito mapeou o território e relatou seu parecer sobre o melhor percurso para o prolongamento dessa ferrovia, que deveria atravessar as terras cearenses e chegar até as margens do rio São Francisco, em Pernambuco. Nessa documentação, o engenheiro, convencido de sua obrigação para com a pátria brasileira e o progresso do país, definiu as marcas para a produção de um território moderno, que aliasse o Ceará à rapidez e eficiência dos moldes europeus ocidentais. Suas colocações, via de regra, apresentaram um olhar preconceituoso sobre a realidade observada, classificando o diferente como desigual e inferior. Trata-se de farta documentação a partir da qual é possível refletir sobre os projetos de modernização para o Brasil do final do século XIX e início do XX.
“Pelas calmarias e ventos contrários”
Authors: Freitas Ricardo Cabral
Published: March 2020

O artigo analisa os anos finais da trajetória de Francisco de Mello Franco (1757- 1823), tomando como ponto de partida sua participação como primeiro médico da comitiva que acompanhou a arquiduquesa Leopoldina em viagem ao Rio de Janeiro, onde uniu-se ao príncipe Pedro de Alcântara, futuro D. Pedro I. Natural de Paracatu, Minas Gerais, Mello Franco realizou estudos médicos na Universidade de Coimbra e construiu sólida carreira em Lisboa como médico da Câmara Real, membro da Academia de Ciências e autor de conhecida produção intelectual. A análise privilegia as redes de sociabilidade e as articulações políticas e familiares que envolveram sua chegada e estadia no Brasil. Assim, procura-se enfatizar essas questões como elementos indissociáveis da trajetória intelectual de personagens com o seu perfil e que revelam aspetos na maior parte das vezes inacessíveis à mera análise de suas obras.
Acridocarpus taitensis (Malpighiaceae), a new species from Taita Hills in Kenya, Eastern Arc Mountains

Authors: NYANGE MWADIME , NGUMBAU VERONICAH MUTELE , LUKE QUENTIN
Published: March 2020

Acridocarpus taitensis (Malpighiaceae), a new species collected from Taita Hills (Ngangao Forest fragment), Kenya, is described and illustrated. The new entity is similar to A. congestus, but is distinguished by its longer glandular leaves, with markedly impressed lateral veins on the adaxial leaf surfaces, smaller bracts, and fruits with the apex of the wings obtuse in shape. This species has previously been recorded as Acridocarpus sp. in the book Kenya, Trees & Shrubs and as Acridocarpus taxon A in the book Kenya, Trees, Shrubs & Lianas.
Locating Litter: An Exploratory Multilevel Analysis of the Spatial Patterns of Litter in Philadelphia
Authors: Lockwood Brian , Wyant Brian R. , Grunwald Heidi E.
Published: March 2020

The city of Philadelphia has long been criticized for the amount of litter strewn about its streets. To more fully understand this problem, a recent city initiative, the Clean PHL program, sent out individuals to rate the amount of litter on more than 28,000 blocks across the city. We used multilevel models to analyze these data to identify both address-level and block group–level correlates of increased litter ratings. The results show that being on an arterial or collector street, the late summer and early fall seasons, and exposure to food-serving businesses and vacant properties are linked with the odds of increased litter, whereas proximity to a park is linked with decreased litter. We also found that increased block group–level disadvantage is directly related to increased litter and serves to moderate the relationships between some address-level predictors and litter.
Conflicting Worldviews in Acts
Authors: Jung Deok Hee
Published: March 2020

This article examines the conceptual encounter of coexisting worldviews in the lands around the Mediterranean through the concept of the oikoumene, ‘the inhabited world’. Different cultures, such as the Roman and the Jewish, adopted the term, but distinctively adapted it around their own understanding. The result was a tension for early Christians between two parallel worldviews. The biblical authors considered it significant to elucidate the genuine Lord of the oikoumene, who was thus its centre. Luke employs the oikoumene in Luke-Acts and provides his own worldview, particularly, in Acts 17. Here he intends to suggest that the Roman oikoumene is to be gradually supplanted by the Christian oikoumene (17:6). At the same time, Luke claims that the Acts’ narrative portrays the inhabited world where the early Christians lived as restored into the authentic world created and ruled by God through Jesus (17:31). Similarly, the inhabited world represented in Acts is the world that God designed all nations (God’s offspring) to inhabit, and God has allotted the boundaries of the nations where the people are to dwell.
The Raising of Lazarus—‘That green silent place where life and death are one.’
Authors: Gammack George
Published: March 2020

‘The Raising of Lazarus’ is explored with the help of Rainer Marie Rilke’s poem of that title. In particular, Franz Wright’s translation enters imaginatively into Jesus’ passionate desire that people should have the faith that does not need the resuscitation of corpses in order to realise the power of God’s spirit uniting his people across the border between life and death.
Knowledge and Barriers Among Physicians Toward Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Abdulkarim Dalal Abdulrazaq , Aljadhey Hisham S. , Mahmoud Mansour A. , Poff Gregory A. , Hassali Mohamed Azmi , Ali Sheraz
Published: March 2020

Background:

Spontaneous reporting systems are essential as they help detect serious unknown adverse drug reaction (ADR). However, underreporting of ADR is a commonly associated problem. This research work aims to assess knowledge, barriers, and factors that encourage the reporting of ADR among physicians.

Methods:

A total of 600 physicians working at a tertiary referral hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were included in this cross-sectional study. A pretested questionnaire was used.

Results:

Out of the 600 physicians, 240 (40%) completed the questionnaire. Most of the participants (85.4%) could correctly define ADR; nearly 75% physicians were unaware of the spontaneous reporting of ADR in Saudi Arabia. A total of 175 (72.9%) physicians had not reported any ADR among their patients in the last year; 40% of the physicians said that they did not report ADR because they were unaware of the online reporting of ADR. Providing guidelines and regular bulletins on the reporting of ADR is a critical aspect that encourages physicians to report ADR (51%). Education and training are the most recognized measures for improving the reporting of ADR.

Conclusion:

Physicians were adequately aware of ADR but inadequately aware of the reporting system and reporting authorities. Continuing medical education, training, and integration of the reporting of ADR into physicians’ various clinical activities may improve ADR reporting.
Users’ choice and change of allocated primary mental health professional in community-based mental health services: A scoping review
Authors: Rioli Giulia , Ferrari Silvia , Henderson Claire , Vandelli Riccardo , Galli Giacomo , Minarini Alessandro , Galeazzi Gian Maria
Published: March 2020

Background:

The recovery model in mental health care emphasizes users’ right to be involved in key decisions of their care, including choice of one’s primary mental health professional (PMHP).

Aims:

The aim of this article was to provide a scoping review of the literature on the topic of users’ choice, request of change and preferences for the PMHP in community mental health services.

Method:

A search of the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and PsycINFO for papers in English was performed. Additional relevant research articles were identified through the authors’ personal bibliography.

Results:

A total of 2,774 articles were screened and 38 papers were finally included. Four main aspects emerged: (1) the importance, for users, to be involved in the choice of their PMHP; (2) the importance, for users, of the continuity of care in the relationship with their PMHP; (3) factors of the user/PMHP dyad influencing users’ preferences; and (4) the effect of choice on the treatment outcomes.

Conclusion:

While it is generally agreed that it is important to consider users’ preferences in choosing or requesting to change their PMHP, little research on this topic is available. PMHPs’ and other stakeholders’ views should also be explored in order to discuss ethical and practical issues.
The Slave Revolt That Changed the World and the Conspiracy Against It: The Haitian Revolution and the Birth of Scientific Racism
Authors: Charles Jean Max
Published: March 2020

This paper argues, first, that despite the transnational impact of the Haitian Revolution, it remains mostly unknown in the Western hemisphere. This is primarily the result of an international racist project to repress the idea of Black Revolution and undermine Haiti’s progress. Second, I argue that, since the second half of the 19th century, intellectuals and social scientists have contributed to this racial project, and thus that scientific racism was born primarily as a response to the Haitian Revolution. The proliferation of racially oriented pseudosciences was part of significant efforts on the part of European and American intellectuals to undermine the notion of Black Revolution and Black power, and to demonstrate that Blacks were not capable of self-governance.
Tracing legume seed diffusion beyond demonstration trials: An exploration of sharing mechanisms
Authors: Almekinders Conny JM , Ronner Esther , van Heerwaarden Joost
Published: March 2020

Many interventions are assuming that introduced seeds diffuse. However, the details of this diffusion among farmers are poorly understood. This article presents data from eight sites in four on the diffusion of seed and associated information given to farmers involved in N2Africa’s demonstration trials. The study showed that 2–3 years after the trials had been organised, more than 90% of the farmers who had participating in the trial activities and were given a seed-input package with 1–5 kg of legume seed had shared this seed, on average with four other farmers. The farmers who received this seed from these directly involved farmers shared their seed less frequently. Eighty per cent of all the seed sharings were of 1–2 kg of seed given as a gift. Only 5% of the sharings involved a cash transaction. More than half of the seed sharings were with family members and around a third were between friends. Men shared at least as often as women and both men and women shared most with persons of their own sex. Information about rhizobium as an associated input for soya was shared by more than one-third of farmers, almost exclusively by farmers who had participated in the demonstration trials themselves. Extrapolation of data suggest that in addition to the 250,000 farmers who participated directly in the N2Africa demonstration trials, another 1,400,000 farmers may have received seed of a new legume crop or variety. The results show that knowing about the character of the seed sharing mechanisms may offer opportunities to influence the diffusion of seeds. Providing farmers with somewhat larger amounts of seeds, emphasise the importance of sharing seeds and information with relatives and friends could be an important factor in achieving a high multiplier effect.
Exploitation: Bridging Social and Distributive Egalitarianism
Authors: Mulkeen Nicola
Published: March 2020

Social egalitarians have charged distributive egalitarianism with abandoning the victims of option luck, disrespecting victims of brute luck and misunderstanding the aim of egalitarian justice. Social egalitarians have tended to favour a conception of equality that is concerned with ending oppression and expressing equal respect for everyone. In this article, I argue that what has so far been missing from this debate is the fundamental connection that exists between distributive egalitarianism and a conception of exploitation. Once this connection is understood, we can see that social egalitarians are unfair in their criticisms. Importantly, the connection to exploitation reveals that social egalitarianism and distributive egalitarianism are not rival positions. When it comes to exploitation, the two positions are able to coordinate and identify two core wrong-making features that form part of an exploitative interaction.
Child-rearing With Minimal Domination: A Republican Account
Authors: Gheaus Anca
Published: March 2020

Parenting involves an extraordinary degree of power over children. Republicans are concerned about domination, which, on one view, is the holding of power that fails to track the interests of those over whom it is exercised. On this account, parenting as we know it is dominating due to the low standards necessary for acquiring and retaining parental rights and the extent of parental power. Domination cannot be fully eliminated from child-rearing without unacceptable loss of value. Most likely, republicanism requires that we minimise children’s domination. I examine alternative models of child-rearing that are immune to republican criticism.
Similarity, analogy and development in radical exemplar theory: A commentary on Ambridge (2020)
Authors: Lieven Elena , Ferry Alissa , Theakston Anna , Twomey Katherine E.
Published: March 2020

During language acquisition children generalise at multiple layers of granularity. Ambridge argues that abstraction-based accounts suffer from lumping (over-general abstractions) or splitting (over-precise abstractions). Ambridge argues that the only way to overcome this conundrum is in a purely exemplar/analogy-based system in which generalisations are based on similarity to individual exemplars. However, to move our understanding forward, radical exemplar theory must include clearly specified mechanisms for analogy and similarity computation, and must account for changes in children’s generalisations across development.
Gas migration for terrestrial gas hydrates in the Juhugeng mining area of Muli basin, Qilian Mountains, Northwest China
Authors: Wang Anmin , Li Jing , Wei Yingchun , Yang Chengwei , Nie Jing , Cao Daiyong
Published: March 2020

The Juhugeng mining area in the Qilian Mountains is the only district of China where terrestrial gas hydrate has been found. This paper aimed at studying the gas migration for gas hydrates based on fluid inclusion and apatite fission track experiments with samples being collected in both the hanging wall (Triassic strata, non-hydrocarbon source rocks) and footwall (Jurassic strata, hydrocarbon source rocks) of drilling cores. Fluid inclusions are found in both the hanging wall and footwall, and are characterized by two generations: the first generation includes gaseous and liquid hydrocarbon fluid inclusions with the homogenization temperature of concomitant saline water inclusions being 83–115°C, and the second generation includes gaseous fluid inclusions with the concomitant homogenization temperature of saline water inclusions being 115–149 °C, suggesting two periods of gas migration. Combining with the reconstruction of the burial and thermal histories, the gas migration history can be elaborated as follows: (1) In the Late Paleogene period (>30 Ma), the gas in the footwall migrated to the hanging wall because of the thrusting of Triassic strata, with the temperature being more than 110 ± 10°C (derived from apatite fission track results), corresponding well with the homogenization temperature of the saline water inclusions of the first generation being 115–149 °C; (2) In the Late Neogene to Quaternary (<8 Ma), the study area were impacted by the intensive faults, leading to the second gas migration with a good match between temperature lower than 110 ± 10°C (derived from apatite fission track results) and the homogenization temperature of saline water inclusions in the second generation (83–115 °C), and the geological age of the second gas migration can be restricted from 8 to 1.8 Ma. The permafrost was formed in Quaternary, so the controversial gas hydrate formation pattern can be determined that the gas should be accumulated before the permafrost was formed.
Rate of Motion and Object Perception in the Blind
Authors: Mccarty Bruce , Worchel Philip
Published: March 2020

The present study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between rate of motion of a blind observer and his ability to perceive obstacles.

The subject was a totally blind boy of 11 years who was instructed to ride his bicycle over a course in which two movable obstacles had been placed. After 40 trials without a collision, the subject was instructed to ride as swiftly as he could. Forty additional trials were given.

The results showed only four collisions, and one of those was during the higher speed trials. Thus, the results indicate that for this boy, higher speeds do not impair object perception.
Economic Security in the Twentieth Century
Authors: Robinson M. C.
Published: March 2020

To clarify thinking on the subject, the 1955 convention of the American Association of Workers for the Blind will devote time and discussion to various considerations in government provision of financial assistance to blind citizens. In anticipation, it seems appropriate to present here at least parts of the contents of two papers on the general subject that were presented last summer at the General Assembly of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind in Paris, by Capt. M. C. Robinson and H. A. Wood, respectively. Incorporated herein also are pertinent resolutions adopted by the World Council and the Board of Directors of the American Association of Workers for the Blind.

The World Council resolution (No. 8) consists of two paragraphs, each of which was originally adopted separately and which were subsequently combined as they appear here. The first paragraph is substantially the same as Resolution V of the International Conference of Workers for the Blind, held at Merton College, Oxford, in 1949; it is quoted in part also in the introductory sentences of Mr. Wood's paper below. At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the AAWB subsequent to the 1954 Paris meeting of the World Council, the Board's attitude toward that resolution (No. 8) is reported to have been discussed. After consideration, the Board is reported to have determined that any formal statement of policy could only be made by mandate of the Association membership except that reaffirmation of previously adopted policy could be made. This is what was done in the action quoted herein.

The papers prepared for the Paris meeting were, of course, directed toward the international audience comprising the World Council and should be read with that fact in mind.

Capt. Robinson is national director of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, for Western Canada, and president of the AAWB (1953–55); Mr. Wood is executive secretary of the North Carolina State Commission for the Blind.—Editor.
Progress in the Field of Gerontology
Authors: Shock Nathan W.
Published: March 2020

Blindness among older persons is of progressively increasing concern as longevity and consequent numbers of older blind persons increase. On the “large map of the world of the aging” which Dr. Shock here portrays, the worker for the blind must locate the area of his function and perceive its relative position on the total map so as to fit into its contours and most effectively contribute to the total results that are sought.
A Survey of Vocational Objectives of blind college students in the U. S
Authors: Asenjo J. Albert , Axelrod Seymour
Published: March 2020

Summaries are presented of information gathered via questionnaires on vocational objectives of blind college students in the United Stales and on several topics related to sub-college teaching as a profession for blind persons. The possibility of a follow-up study of the employment status of the blind students who formed the subject sample of this survey was mentioned.
Medical Social Work with Eye Patients
Authors: Henrich Laura Jane
Published: March 2020

It should be obvious that none of what has been proposed can be accomplished quickly. Actual visual loss is a shock to the individual experiencing it, productive of much fear and depression which are not relieved at once, no matter how adequate the ability to adjust. Therefore the medical social worker must be prepared to give service on a long-time basis. Her role with eye patients is one of multiple functions. It has been shown that medical interpretation and follow-up comprise part of the service to be offered. This is as it should be, since it is the medical condition that has brought the patient to the hospital and is generally his major concern, especially in the beginning.

Explaining the patient's social and emotional needs to the ophthalmologist is also an important responsibility stemming from the social worker's special area of competence. Practical aspects include referral to other agencies for financial assistance, transportation, appliances, employment or rehabilitation.

These services are performed as casework functions recognizing the individual's unique needs and reactions in relation to the eye problem, his right to make decisions and participate actively in the treatment recommendations. The primary discipline is medical and the social worker in this setting. must collaborate with the doctor and other hospital staff members toward the best service to the patient.

Because the majority of eye difficulties are related to degenerative changes, the number of persons with visual problems will increase as the span of life lengthens. New knowledge about the aging processes will enhance the worker's skills in any eye program.

Since half of blindness can now be prevented if full use is made of our current knowledge it is readily apparent that medical and social work efforts in this field must be directed toward early and continuous treatment in order to reduce the appalling amount of unnecessary blindness in this country.
A Non-Institutional Program for the Education of Blind Children in Israel
Authors: Neleson Leonard
Published: March 2020

This article was written for the purpose of presenting to Israeli educators, parents, civil authorities, social workers and others interested in blind persons of all ages a pilot program of education for blind children in a public school. In its original form the article presents more extensively the principles and philosophy, the psychological and sociological considerations, than is considered necessary where public school classes for blind children are no longer a novelty. New Outlook readers will be interested to observe here the recommendation of an educational plan in a new country where only mixed traditions, and no established procedures, exist.
5,000 Years of Bad Advertising is Enough!
Authors: Ziemer Gregor
Published: March 2020

The report of the 1958 AAWB convention on page 308 notes that special attention was given this year to the rapidly expanding field of public relations in work for the blind. Widespread interest has been shown in the development of public relations not only as an ally of service programs but as an important service in itself. The following four papers, all presented at the AAWB meeting, deal with the subject in terms of techniques, standards, goals, and relationship to other areas of agency programs.
Effective Use of Volunteers in Group Work and Recreation Programs
Authors: Shapiro Robert , Saul Shura
Published: March 2020

We believe that the volunteer is a living link between our members and the total community. To our members, the volunteers are continuous proof that there is some acceptance of them by the sighted community. Their voluntary presence, their devoted, sensitive and intelligent assistance, their regular attendance, attest to this much more than would any verbalization.

Using the volunteer's services in the group work program has created a splendid and natural way in which blind and sighted people may exchange viewpoints. Rehabilitation of our members may be speeded through such continued contact; each relationship may be considered as another step in the long process of this rehabilitation.

An adequately trained volunteer is a better-informed citizen, more aware of people's needs and of the community's responsibilities toward them. We feel that an informed volunteer adds a new dimension to his community as well as to the agency. Certainly, then, a better-informed group of volunteers makes for a more knowledgeable public.
A Language of the Skin
Authors: Foulke Emerson
Published: March 2020

The following article is intended to alert readers of the New Outlook to research which is intended to implement an idea originally suggested in conjunction with mobility device research for the blind at Haskins Laboratories in 1944. While the author is concentrating on the maximum transmission of information, Professor Robert Gibson at the Carnegie Institute of Technology is moving rapidly ahead with research in pain-free stimulation and special compact equipment which could be used with a mobility device, or with a reading machine for blind and deaf-blind people.
Fencing as an Aid to the Habilitation or Rehabilitation of Blind Persons
Authors: Waffa Joseph
Published: March 2020

The facts presented in this article are based on eighteen months of study undertaken at the Rehabilitation Center of the Greater Pittsburgh Guild for the Blind, on the effect of fencing on the reorganization of the sensorium after the loss of sight. The course in fencing given at the Guild covers three class-hours per week for the duration of the rehabilitation period of sixteen weeks.
Survivorship among the Aged Blind
Authors: Rogot Eugene
Published: March 2020

A follow-up study of 11,732 persons first registered as legally blind in Massachusetts during the twenty-year period, 1940-1959, was conducted in order to determine survivorship patterns and causes of death among the blind. This paper reports findings for 5,976 blind persons who were sixty-five years of age or older at the time of registration. Life-expectancy values calculated for single years of age from sixty-five to ninety showed that blind males had lower values than the general population over most of this age range; differences in life-expectancy were roughly two years for ages sixty-five to seventy-two, about one year for ages seventy-three to seventy-nine, and essentially no difference for ages eighty to ninety. The pattern for females was very similar to that for males. The largest differences according to major causes of blindness were for diabetes with blind males age sixty-five and over having an observed life-expectancy almost four years less than expected, and blind females age sixty-five and over having a life-expectancy 4.8 years less than expected. For blind males as well as for blind females age sixty-five and over, excess mortality due to diabetes was particularly noted.
Difficulties in Handling the “Human Element” in the Psychological Evaluation of Blind Children
Authors: Mayer Joseph
Published: March 2020

The primary individuals involved in a psychological evaluation are the person being evaluated, the examiner, the referring person and the parents. Focus has been upon certain perceptions, feelings and attitudes of these individuals, especially as they relate to the visual handicap of the child. Denial and passivity are often found in the child, whereas the examiner feels unwise sympathy, tends to overestimate the blind child's capabilities and tends to attribute all pathology to the blindness. Parents and sources of referral can deny the handicapping meaning of blindness and may have preconceived biases about what conclusions they would like to see reached. Such feelings serve to hinder the most adequate completion of a psychological evaluation. An open and honest approach to visually handicapped children, free of denial and delusion, has been implicitly emphasized.
Child Rearing by Blind Parents
Authors: Ware Mary A. , Schwab Lois O.
Published: March 2020

One somewhat neglected area in the literature dealing with the daily life of blind persons is the responsibilities and problems faced by blind parents. The editors of the New Outlook, therefore, have gathered the following three articles in an effort to present the experiences—the satisfactions, the fears, the problems and solutions—of blind parents in rearing their children. The first article, by Miss Mary A. Ware and Dr. Lois O. Schwab, is based on interviews with 10 blind mothers and presents in detail how they coped with the myriad problems involved in caring for infants and young children. The Second article, by Mrs. Joanna Cargill, is the story of a family in which both parents are visually handicapped. Dr. Nicholas S. DiCaprio, in the final article, combines his experiences as a blind parent and as a professor of psychology to discuss the psychological problems that can arise in rearing a child when only one of the parents is blind.

Because these articles may be of practical use to workers for the blind and to blind parents, reprints will be available after July 1. The prices will be: 1-5 copies, free; 6-50 copies, 15c each; 51-100 copies, 10c each. All payments totaling $6 or less must accompany orders.
Improving Braille Reading
Authors: Umsted Richard G.
Published: March 2020

□ Increasing accuracy and speed in recognition of each member of the braille code produced significant improvement in the braille reading of high school students. These results were supportive of previous research8 which showed that increasing the rate of identification of the 55 single-cell characters significantly increased the rate and accuracy of the total reading process of students in the elementary grades. As in the Henderson study, the present investigation showed statistically significant improvement for the experimental group on both rate and accuracy on the braille code recognition measures. The improvement on the code recognition test was anticipated because 15 days of various drill exercises on the code symbols were provided. The effect of this gain on oral reading was not statistically significant, although there was an absolute gain in both rate and accuracy in favor of the experimental group. Differential gain was noted for each of the levels, with the high reading level of the experimental group making a statistically significant gain in rate of oral reading.
What the Future May Hold for the Deaf-Blind Child
Authors: Spar Harry J.
Published: March 2020

□ The development of special education and rehabilitation for deaf-blind persons is still many years behind the stage reached for other handicapped groups. Much of the development has taken place within the past several years. However, enough has already been accomplished to hold good promise for the years ahead; and while we cannot be complacent about expanded and improved opportunities now available for deaf-blind persons, we can take encouragement from the fact that, considering what has been achieved and what can be expected in the near future, a deaf-blind child today enjoys a reasonably good prospect for finding an acceptable place for himself in the world when he reaches adulthood. With continuing faith, hard work, and patience we may hope that, within our lifetime, most deaf-blind children will enjoy opportunities and choices for their future not too greatly different from those enjoyed by their nonhandicapped peers.
Action on Issues
Authors: Lewis Harold
Published: March 2020

Knowledge about the political aspects of the delivery of social and health services is necessary in formulating policies that will have the most chance of achieving the desired goal of improved services. Also required for effective action is a critical evaluation of the relationship of long-term goals, as set forth in policies, and short-term action decisions. An ethical imperative based on the principles of distributive justice is proposed as the means of achieving a more equitable and just allocation of resources. Specific practical principles are suggested, including giving the highest priority to access to services, insuring client participation in decision-making, altering programs to fit the life-style of the clients, and persisting in the pursuit of solutions.
Career Education and Visually Handicapped Persons: Some Issues Surrounding the State of the Art
Authors: Uxer John E.
Published: March 2020

The philosophy of career education is contrasted with the specific program approaches used in implementing it. Highlights of career education planning in Texas are presented, along with an overview of the national picture. The problems plaguing this field are discussed, as are the future possibilities.
Learn to Earn: A School Work-Experience Program
Authors: Huber Dennis J.
Published: March 2020

Students at a residential school for the blind are provided part-time work experience in the sheltered workshop operated by an agency for the blind. The guidelines by which the program is operated are included, as are the present plans for modifying and improving it.
The Self-Reliance Institute: Filling the Gap in Work Experience
Authors: Laurence Marilyn
Published: March 2020

This five-week residential program is very intensive and seeks to establish a “boot camp” environment in which great demands are made upon students, forcing them to achieve through a heightening of their self-awareness and self-esteem. Instruction includes seminars on job-hunting and interview techniques (followed by competition for available jobs), classes in daily living skills, mobility, sensory development, and physical education; and rap sessions on attitudes, feelings, and anxieties. Employer evaluations, academic and skills tests, and standard psychological tests indicated that the program had attained its goals. Parent involvement, though encouraged, remained at a low level.
A Message to Professionally Trained Rehabilitation Teachers of the Blind
Authors: Leavitt Glenn S.
Published: March 2020

A special forum for individuals to respond in detail to material published in the New Outlook for the Blind or elsewhere, to present new ideas, or to raise issues which relate to the specialized field of work with blind and visually handicapped persons. Contributions should be 350-1,000 words in length.
Research Resource Needs for the Future
Authors: Clark Leslie L.
Published: March 2020

This overview of the past, present, and future of research and development related to severely visually impaired persons covers the following subjects: documentation, creation of an armamentarium of aids (including both ordinary and highly sophisticated devices), the financing of R&D, the problem of technology transfer, dealing with change, the need for better theoretical models, and new definitions of the reality in which severely visually impaired individuals and those who work with them and for their benefit find themselves.