bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distribution of Trace Elements, Sr-C Isotopes, and Sedimentary Characteristics as Paleoenvironmental Indicator of the Late Permian Linxi Formation in the Linxi Area, Eastern Inner Mongolia
Authors: Wang Linlin , Zhang Yongsheng , Xing Enyuan , Peng Yuan , Yu Dongdong
Published: March 2020

The Late Permian on the periphery of the Songliao Basin, eastern Inner Mongolia, is an important hydrocarbon source rock system. Its sedimentary environment plays an important role in the evaluation of hydrocarbon prospects in the area. Unfortunately, until now, the interpretation of the sedimentary environment of this area has been controversial. We investigated the Late Permian sedimentary environment by studying the sedimentary characteristics and geochemistry. Based on these investigations, we conclude that the Linxi Formation is mainly composed of clastic sediments, interbedded with limestone lenses, with bioherm limestone at the top of the formation. Inner-layer marine fossils (calcium algae, bryozoans, and sponges) and freshwater and blackish water microfossils (bivalves) are all present, indicative of a typical shallow water sedimentary environment with an open and concussion background. In terms of geochemistry, the formation is relatively light rare Earth enriched, with significant positive Eu anomaly, slight positive La and Y anomaly, weak positive Gd anomaly, and lack of Ce anomaly. The average B/Ga ratio of the mudstone is greater than 3.3, and the average Sr/Ba ratio of the limestone is greater than 1.0. The range of the 87Sr/86Sr ratio is from 0.707285 to 0.707953. The range of δ13C values is from −4.0‰ to 2.4‰. The sediment assemblages, rare Earth elements, trace elements, and 87Sr/86Sr and C isotopes of the formation indicate that the Linxi Formation formed in a marine sedimentary environment and occasional marine-terrestrial transitional facies. The formation can be further divided into littoral facies, neritic facies, bathyal facies, and delta front.
Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum and Diffuse Subcutaneous Emphysema after Methamphetamine Inhalation
Authors: Agustin Michael , David Gabriel , Kang Ji Yeong , Teerasukjinda Ornusa
Published: March 2020

Methamphetamines are commonly abused drugs for their stimulant and euphoric effects. Inhaled and intravenous use may cause damage to the respiratory system. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a condition where changes in intrathoracic pressure leads to alveolar rupture and dissection of air along the tracheobronchial tree. Massive subcutaneous emphysema may result from pneumomediastinum which may compromise the central airway. In this case report, we present an unusual case of spontaneous pneumomediastinum and severe subcutaneous emphysema following inhalation of methamphetamine. This case emphasizes the rising concern on the acute respiratory complications of methamphetamine use.
Influence of Cytochrome P450 2D6 Polymorphisms on the Efficacy of Oral Propranolol in Treating Infantile Hemangioma
Authors: Wang Lidan , Zheng Kai , Li Xinlin , Wang Yang , Xu Qiong
Published: March 2020

Objective. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association of genetic polymorphisms in Cytochrome P450 2D6(CYP2D6) and the change in VEGF levels with the response to propranolol in patients with Infantile hemangiomas (IH). Methods. IH patients who underwent over six months of propranolol therapy and received oral propranolol only were enrolled. The target dose of propranolol was 1 mg kg−1day−1. Deoxyribonucleic acid was obtained from venous blood leukocytes. Genotypes of CYP2D6 (rs1065852 and rs1135840) were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by sequencing the products. Baseline serum VEGF and serum VEGF one month after treatment were measured. The clinical responses after six months of treatment were evaluated. Genotypes of CYP2D6 (rs1065852 and rs1135840) and VEGF levels were compared between good responders and poor‐to‐moderate responders. Results. 72 patients were enrolled in the study. Patients with CYP2D6 (rs1135840) G/G homozygote had the highest response rate to propranolol. No significant association was found between the response rates and CYP2D6 (rs1065852) polymorphism. No significant differences were found in baseline serum VEGF, serum VEGF one month after treatment, and VEGF ratio between good responders and poor‐to‐moderate responders. Conclusion. The response to propranolol treatment in IH patients was associated with the gene polymorphism of CYP2D6 (rs1135840). A low‐dose propranolol regimen was effective and safe in young infants with IH. The change of serum VEGF levels after one month’s treatment could not be used to predict the response rate to propranolol.
Multiaccess Edge Computing-Based Simulation as a Service for 5G Mobile Applications: A Case Study of Tollgate Selection for Autonomous Vehicles
Authors: Lee Junhee , Kang Sungjoo , Jeon Jaeho , Chun Ingeol
Published: March 2020

As the data rate and area capacity are enormously increased with the advent of 5G wireless communication, the network latency becomes a severe issue in a 5G network. Since there are various types of terminals in a 5G network such as vehicles, medical devices, robots, drones, and various sensors which perform complex tasks interacting with other devices dynamically, there is a need to handle heavy computing resource intensive operations. Placing a multiaccess edge computing (MEC) server at the base station, which is located at the edge, can be one of the solutions to it. The application running on the MEC platform needs a specific simulation technique to analyze complex systems inside the MEC network. We proposed and implemented a simulation as a service (SIMaaS) for the MEC platform, which is to offload the simulation using a Cloud infrastructure based on the concept of computation offloading. In the case study, the Monte-Carlo simulations are conducted using the proposed SIMaaS to select the optimal highway tollgate where vehicles are allowed to enter. It shows how clients of the MEC platform use SIMaaS to obtain certain goals.
Treatment Effect Accounting for Network Changes
Authors: Comola Margherita , Prina Silvia
Published: March 2020

Networks may rewire in response to interventions. We propose a measure of the treatment effect when an intervention affects the structure of a social network. We develop a treatment-response model that incorporates dynamic peer effects and provide its identification conditions and the associated instrumental-variable strategy. We illustrate our estimation procedure using a panel data set containing information on a financial network before and after a field experiment that randomized access to savings accounts. Results show that neglecting the network change results in underestimation of the impact of the intervention and the role played by informal networks through which the intervention diffuses.
Are Consumers' Spending Decisions in Line with A Euler Equation?
Authors: Dräger Lena , Nghiem Giang
Published: March 2020

Evaluating a new survey of German consumers, we test whether individual consumption spending decisions are formed according to a Euler equation model. We find that consumers are more likely to increase current spending if they plan to increase spending in the future and if they expect higher inflation. In the subsample of financially literate households, we find an additional negative effect of nominal interest rate expectations. The effects of macroeconomic expectations become stronger if consumers observed news on monetary policy or financial markets. These news effects are particularly pronounced for consumers who save and those with low inflation forecast accuracy.
Inferring Tax Compliance from Pass-Through: Evidence from Airbnb Tax Enforcement Agreements
Authors: Bibler Andrew J. , Teltser Keith F. , Tremblay Mark J.
Published: March 2020

Tax enforcement is especially costly when market participants are difficult to observe. The benefits of enforcement depend crucially on pre-enforcement compliance. We de rive an upper bound on pre-enforcement compliance from the pass-through of newly enforced taxes. Using data on Airbnb listings and the platform's voluntary collection agreements, we find that taxes are paid on, at most, 24% of Airbnb transactions prior to enforcement. We also find that demand for Airbnb listings is inelastic, driving three key insights: the tax burden falls disproportionately on renters, the excess burden is small, and tax enforcement is relatively ineffective at reducing local Airbnb activity.
Energy Efficiency and Electricity Reliability
Authors: Carranza Eliana , Meeks Robyn
Published: March 2020

Overloaded electrical systems are a major source of unreliable power. Using a randomized saturation design, we estimate the impact of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) on electricity reliability and household electricity consumption in the Kyrgyz Republic. Greater saturation of CFLs within a transformer leads to fewer outages, a technological externality benefiting all households, regardless of individual adoption. Spillovers in CFL adoption further reduce electricity consumption, contributing to increased reliability within a transformer. CFLs' impacts on household electricity consumption vary according to the effects on reliability. Receiving CFLs significantly reduces electricity consumption, but increased reliability permits greater consumption of electricity services.
Minimum Wage and Real Wage Inequality: Evidence from Pass-Through to Retail Prices
Authors: Leung Justin H.
Published: March 2020

This paper considers the impact of the minimum wage on both labor and product markets using detailed store-level scanner data. I provide empirical evidence that a 10% increase in the minimum wage raises grocery store prices by 0.6% to 0.8% and suggest that the minimum wage not only raises labor costs but also affects product demand, especially in poorer regions. This points to novel channels of heterogeneity in pass-through that have distributional consequences, with key implications for real wage inequality. I also find that price rigidity within retail chains ameliorates these effects, reducing the pass-through elasticity for retail prices by about 60%.
Torn Apart? The Impact of Manufacturing Employment Decline on Black and White Americans
Authors: Gould Eric D.
Published: March 2020

This paper examines the impact of manufacturing employment decline on the socioeconomic outcomes within and between black and white americans since 1960. The analysis shows that manufacturing decline had a negative impact on blacks in terms of their wages, employment, marriage rates, house values, poverty rates, death rates, single parenthood, teen motherhood, child poverty, and child mortality. In addition, the decline in manufacturing increased inequality within the black community for wages and other outcomes. Similar patterns are found for whites, but to a lesser degree—leading to larger gaps between whites and blacks in wages, marriage patterns, poverty, single-parenthood, and death rates.
Morphological characterisation and molecular phylogeny of several species of Criconematina (Nematoda: Tylenchida) associated with turfgrass in Korea, as inferred from ribosomal and mitochondrial DNA
Authors: Mwamula Abraham Okki , Kabir Md. Faisal , Lee Gayeong , Choi In Ho , Kim Young Ho , Bae Eun-Ji , Lee Dong Woon
Published: March 2020

Six species belonging to the Criconematina, including a morphologically cryptic population within the Mesocriconema curvatum-group, are characterised based on integrative taxonomy based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic inferences from analyses of the 28S-rRNA, ITS-rRNA and COI gene sequences. Mesocriconema sp. 1 is morphologically similar to M. nebraskense and M. curvatum, differing from M. curvatum by the occasional presence of 1-2 anastomoses and a relatively higher R value, and from M. nebraskense by only a narrowed first lip annulus. However, based on COI gene sequence analysis, significant differences among the three species are evident. The sequence information in the COI gene among Mesocriconema spp. continues to reveal the existence of cryptic species within well-established species designations, and the concept of Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units might be helpful in grouping the different lineages according to sequence identities. Mesocriconema nebraskense is detailed herein for the first time outside the USA. DNA sequences of Hemicycliophora labiata were similar to those in GenBank while the existence in Korea of M. curvatum, Hemicriconemoides brachyurus and Paratylenchus nanus is molecularly confirmed.
Urbūn (Earnest Money): Legal Framework in Islamic and Positive Law and Comparison with the Call Option Contract
Authors: Fares Laita Ibtihal , Marghich Abdellah , Habachi Mohamed
Published: March 2020

Financial derivatives such as futures, options and swaps play an important role in the development of financial markets because they can be employed in many ways, notably for hedging, arbitrage and speculation. However, for a variety of reasons, such conventional instruments are considered unlawful under Islamic law and are impermissible in Islamic financial markets. The search for a Sharīʿah-compliant alternative has become a major concern to Islamic financial and legal engineering. Indeed, in this article, we will study the ʿurbūn (earnest money) contract according to Islamic law and positive law in several Muslim countries. Thereafter, we will examine the possibility of substituting the conventional call option contract (Call) by the ʿurbūn contract for hedging market risk, by providing a technical and legal comparison between the two contracts.
Gulf Declaration of Human Rights (GDHR) Protection against Slavery: A Double-edged Sword
Authors: el-Mumin Mustafa
Published: March 2020

The Gulf Declaration of Human Rights (GDHR) is a regional human rights document that has largely evaded wide academic discourse. The substantive debate is primarily between Khalifa Alfadhel and the author: Alfadhel praises the GDHR for its attempt at reconciling Islamic values with international human rights law, whilst the author argues the GDHR is an intrinsically flawed and vapid document that does not cement human rights in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This article seeks to strengthen the author’s argument, focusing on the GDHR’s protection against slavery through a case study of the GCC’s kafala system. Comparative analysis between the GDHR, domestic GCC legislation, Sharīʿah and international human rights standards will plainly show how the GDHR fails in its intended objectives. Ultimately, the article will provide opportunity for further discourse surrounding the GDHR and what steps could be necessary to elevate the document to one of substance.
The Carrier’s Liability for Delay under UAE Maritime Law: A Comparative Study
Authors: Naboush Eman
Published: March 2020

The carriage of goods by sea plays a vital role in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) economy as its several seaports are strategically located at the crossroads of the Middle East/southwest Asian region. Therefore, knowledge of the legal rules governing the carriage of goods by sea, as they are applied in the UAE, is important. This study focuses particularly on those rules relating to the carrier’s liability for delay in the delivery of goods by sea to their port of destination. Since in most cases of delay no physical loss of goods incurs, economic loss is a prominent aspect of delay cases. This study analyses the provisions of delay in the UAE and compares those with the pertinent international conventions on the carriage of goods by sea. The aim is to examine the extent to which provisions of UAE commercial maritime laws align with the international conventions regarding delay of cargo delivery.
Grand Coalition Government: The Case of Lebanon
Authors: Badran Simon
Published: March 2020

To maintain political stability and to preserve the plurality and the diversity that characterise its societies, consociational democracies require, more than other states, a grand coalition government. In this type of democracy, the grand coalition is not a model that is used in exceptional cases, as in majoritarian democracies. It is a deliberate and permanent political choice. In Lebanon, following the modifications implemented by the 1989 Ṭā’if Accord, the Constitution instituted a collegial power-sharing within the executive that implies the establishment of a grand coalition which enables the political participation of the main Lebanese religious confessions in the government. On the other hand, the formation of the Lebanese Council of ministers since the spring of 2005 has become increasingly difficult and coalitions are often less stable than in the past. These laborious negotiations for unstable governmental coalitions are especially problematic in what may be called the perversion of the constitutional procedure by leaders of the parliamentary blocs.
Shitsukan — the Multisensory Perception of Quality
Authors: Spence Charles
Published: March 2020

We often estimate, or perceive, the quality of materials, surfaces, and objects, what the Japanese refer to as ‘shitsukan’, by means of several of our senses. The majority of the literature on shitsukan perception has, though, tended to focus on the unimodal visual evaluation of stimulus properties. In part, this presumably reflects the widespread hegemony of the visual in the modern era and, in part, is a result of the growing interest, not to mention the impressive advances, in digital rendering amongst the computer graphics community. Nevertheless, regardless of such an oculocentric bias in so much of the empirical literature, it is important to note that several other senses often do contribute to the impression of the material quality of surfaces, materials, and objects as experienced in the real world, rather than just in virtual reality. Understanding the multisensory contributions to the perception of material quality, especially when combined with computational and neural data, is likely to have implications for a number of fields of basic research as well as being applicable to emerging domains such as, for example, multisensory augmented retail, not to mention multisensory packaging design.
Does nocturnal activity prolong gecko longevity?
Authors: Stark Gavin , Schwarz Rachel , Meiri Shai
Published: March 2020

The majority of lizard clades are ancestrally and predominantly diurnal. The only major taxon in which most species are nocturnal is the Gekkota (geckos and pygopodids). As ectothermic thermoregulators, lizard metabolic rates are highly temperature dependent, and diurnal lizards therefore demonstrate higher metabolic rates than nocturnal ones. Furthermore, exposure to solar radiation is thought to reduce ectothermic longevity by increasing both metabolic costs and the rate of accumulating harmful mutations through UV radiation (UVC specifically). In being nocturnal, ectothermic species may reduce their intrinsic mortality rates and thus live longer. To test this hypothesis, we collected literature data on the maximum longevities of 740 lizard species, of which 185 are geckos. We examined whether geckos live longer than other lizards, and whether activity time affects gecko longevity. While geckos live relatively long for lizards of their size, their activity time was found to be unrelated to longevity, contradicting our predictions. We suggest that diurnal species may have evolved higher resistance to UV radiation via thicker, more keratinized skin. Elevated metabolic rates do not automatically equate with faster aging. Mortality through extrinsic causes (e.g., predation) may impose much stronger selective pressures than intrinsic causes.
Seasonal Forecasts of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Weisheimer Antje , Befort Daniel J. , MacLeod Dave , Palmer Tim , O’Reilly Chris , Strømmen Kristian
Published: March 2020

Forecasts of seasonal climate anomalies using physically based global circulation models are routinely made at operational meteorological centers around the world. A crucial component of any seasonal forecast system is the set of retrospective forecasts, or hindcasts, from past years that are used to estimate skill and to calibrate the forecasts. Hindcasts are usually produced over a period of around 20–30 years. However, recent studies have demonstrated that seasonal forecast skill can undergo pronounced multidecadal variations. These results imply that relatively short hindcasts are not adequate for reliably testing seasonal forecasts and that small hindcast sample sizes can potentially lead to skill estimates that are not robust. Here we present new and unprecedented 110-year-long coupled hindcasts of the next season over the period 1901–2010. Their performance for the recent period is in good agreement with those of operational forecast models. While skill for ENSO is very high during recent decades, it is markedly reduced during the 1930s–1950s. Skill at the beginning of the twentieth century is, however, as high as for recent high-skill periods. Consistent with findings in atmosphere-only hindcasts, a midcentury drop in forecast skill is found for a range of atmospheric fields, including large-scale indices such as the NAO and the PNA patterns. As with ENSO, skill scores for these indices recover in the early twentieth century, suggesting that the midcentury drop in skill is not due to a lack of good observational data. A public dissemination platform for our hindcast data is available, and we invite the scientific community to explore them.
The Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in Hangzhou, China, 2016 to 2018
Authors: Wang Jie , Zhou Jun , Xie Guoliang , Zheng Shufa , Lou Bin , Chen Yu , Wu Yidong
Published: March 2020

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is most frequently caused by several serotypes of human enterovirus (EV) including Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71), coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16), or other types of EV. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological characteristics of HFMD and to describe the epidemiologic characteristics of HFMD among severe and mild cases. We collected 4760 HFMD cases in Hangzhou from 2016 to 2018. Specimens from these cases were collected and tested for EV-A71, CV-A16, CV-A6, CV-A10, CV-A2, and CV-A5 by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. From 2016 to 2018, the prevalence of HFMD was seasonal each year. Among the 4760 probable HFMD cases, 3559 cases were confirmed (74.8%), including 426 cases of EV-A71 infections (8.9%), 249 cases of CV-A16 infections (5.2%), and 2884 cases of other EV infections (60.6%). The percentage of other EV infections was more than 80%, which increased year by year. Random selection of samples for detection of other EV infections in 2017 and 2018, among the 1297 cases, showed there were 835 (64.4%) cases of CV-A6 infections, 177 (13.6%) cases of CV-A10 infections, 100 (7.7%) cases of CV-A2 infections, 40 (3.1%) cases of CV-A5 infections, 3 (0.02 %) cases of mixed infections, and 11.0% untyped EV infections. Preschool children were still the primary population susceptible to HFMD. In severe cases, EV-A71 infection was the main cause. Characterizing the epidemiology and the relationship between severe and common cases of HFMD would provide relevant evidences for the prevention and treatment of HFMD.
Disappearing organization? Reshaping the sociology of organizations
Authors: Besio Cristina , du Gay Paul , Serrano Velarde Kathia
Published: March 2020

This monograph showcases some recent developments in the sociology of organizations, mapping out the most productive relationships between current social scientific work on organizations and core theoretical and empirical concerns in the discipline of sociology.
The interaction efficiency evaluation between defect and eddy current induced by different exciting coils of planar eddy current probe
Authors: Li Jianhua , Chen Guolong , Zhang Weimin , Jin Wuyin , Pang Weihan
Published: March 2020

This paper presents a quantitative evaluation index efficiency of eddy current and defect interaction to evaluate the eddy current distribution induced by different planar eddy current probe. Efficiency’s definition and its calculation method are presented. Eddy current induced by three different exciting coils interacting with defects having different lengths and different orientation angles is analyzed by the proposed method. Finally, the paper highlights strengths and weaknesses of the studied current probe inducers and an improving method is proposed.
Democratic values, education, and political trust
Authors: Kołczyńska Marta
Published: March 2020

This article examines the links between education, democratic values, and political trust. Research on education systems as carriers of modern orientations and democratic values worldwide predicts that educated individuals will exhibit more democratic values than less educated ones, regardless of the country’s level of democracy. In the political culture approach, political trust can be understood as a reflection of the congruence or incongruence between individual democratic values and the level of democracy of the political system, which emphasizes trust’s relational character. Integrating these strands of literature, I formulate hypotheses about the mediating effect of democratic values between education and political trust. To test these hypotheses, I employ multilevel models of data from the World Values Survey and the European Values Study covering 73 countries. The results show that democratic values partially mediate the effect of education on political trust, but the magnitude of this effect depends on the level of democracy. Analyses also show that, while education is positively associated with democratic values regardless of the country’s level of democracy, this association is much stronger in democratic countries than in non-democratic ones.
Explaining the Oscillation of Cross-Strait Relations: A Domestic Approach
Authors: Wang T.Y.
Published: March 2020

This special section includes four papers to examine the ups and downs of the relationship between Taiwan and China. While both sides of the Taiwan Strait have different political systems, these studies show that domestic politics play a central role in explaining the oscillation of the cross-Strait relationship. The findings provide evidence of the interaction between domestic and external factors. Leaders in Beijing and Taipei therefore need to take heed of the internal forces of both sides of the Taiwan Strait in addressing their contentious relationship.
Examining Diverse Perspectives of edTPA Policy Implementation Across States: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Authors: De Voto Craig , Olson Jennifer D. , Gottlieb Jessica J.
Published: March 2020

Since 2009, the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) has been rapidly implemented as a policy tool for strengthening teacher professionalization across the United States. However, its national assimilation has become a target for both praise and critique among teacher educators. In this article, we examine such diverse perspectives. Highlighting the sensemaking of administrators, faculty, staff, and teacher candidates ( n = 75) across eight teacher preparation programs (TPPs) in two states, we examine how they have responded to varied edTPA policy designs and program contexts. Results show that both policy design and programmatic differences influence how these stakeholders have perceived and implemented edTPA—either as a framework for inquiry or compliance. In the process, we contend that edTPA has many promises and pitfalls as a scalable policy tool for preparing and assessing future teachers.
Can a Digital Awareness Campaign Change Knowledge and Beliefs Regarding Cochlear Implants? A Study in Older Adults in 5 European Countries
Authors: D’Haese Patrick S. C. , Van Rompaey Vincent , De Bodt Marc , Van de Heyning Paul
Published: March 2020

There are 466 million people living with a disabling hearing loss and the challenges of managing this public health crisis cannot be underestimated. Yet, adult utilization of cochlear implants is poor with less than 10% of suitable candidates receiving one. The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness levels regarding cochlear implants in older adults after a digital campaign to raise awareness of cochlear implantation in this population. To address the lack of awareness of the cochlear implants in the general population, adverts were placed in online medical magazines and mainstream newspapers. Data were collected in 400 subjects via an online market research questionnaire, in Germany, Austria, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, and compared with baseline data collected in a previous study. Median click rates were in line with expectations for the medical industry and approximately 22 000 individuals clicked through to the cochlear implant Web site. However, there were few significant differences between the 2 sets of data. The Internet was consulted as much as the doctor for medical information in Germany, Austria, and Sweden. The study reinforces the importance of the Internet in accessing information about health, including hearing loss. The click through rates shows that there is interest in learning about cochlear implants. Further work is needed to assess the impact of this type of campaign on individuals who have already been identified as hearing impaired.
Using signed language collocations to investigate acquisition: A commentary on Ambridge (2020)
Authors: Hou Lynn , Morford Jill P.
Published: March 2020

The visual-manual modality of sign languages renders them a unique test case for language acquisition and processing theories. In this commentary the authors describe evidence from signed languages, and ask whether it is consistent with Ambridge’s proposal. The evidence includes recent research on collocations in American Sign Language that reveal collocational frequency effects and patterns that do not constitute syntactic constituents. While these collocations appear to resist fully abstract schematization, further consideration of how speakers create exemplars and how they link exemplar clouds based on tokens and how much abstraction is involved in their creation is warranted.
Re-inventing the self: Implications of trade union revitalization
Authors: Jansson Jenny
Published: March 2020

Although trade union revitalization processes have been thoroughly examined by industrial relations scholars, less is known about the implications of such processes on unions’ self-image. This article addresses that gap in knowledge by investigating how the self-image of a major Swedish public-sector trade union, the SKTF/Vision, changed after a thorough revitalization process took place. The findings indicate that due to pressure resulting from public-sector privatization, the union abandoned much of its former self-image and replaced ideas of ‘the collective’ with individualism. This article analyzes these changes and discusses the implications for the union movement.
“Working Women Unite”: Exploring a Socialist Feminist, Nonhierarchical Teachers Union
Authors: Massie Alicia , Ho Yi Chien Jade
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we present and explore the case of the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU), an independent, directly democratic, and feminist labor union at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. Operating continuously since the 1970s, we argue that TSSU is an important example of the ways in which gender and class have intersected within the history of the Canadian labor movement, and a fascinating case of a longstanding socialist feminist union. We also argue that alongside the historical relevance, exploring the constraints and possibilities of a feminist nonhierarchical organizational structure can offer important lessons for organizing in the twenty-first century. Adopting a socialist feminist framework, we speak from our experiences serving as TSSU executives, as graduate students, and as teachers within the larger academic machine. Marking its fortieth year in 2018, this active, young, and angry labor union can provide the labor movement and academics with a case study to reflect on how we can conceptualize social movement unionism; organize around and toward equity, diversity, and justice; and maintain a deep commitment to both feminist and class struggle.
The Social Context of Caregiving Work in Health Care: Pushing Conceptual and Methodological Frontiers
Authors: Vogus Timothy J. , Gabriel Allison S. , McClelland Laura E.
Published: March 2020

As the demands and nature of caregiving work in the health-care sector become more varied and challenging, our research and theories need to match this evolving reality. This editorial introduces theories of caregiving work and then uses each of the four papers featured in the special issue to advance a more nuanced and social approach to theorizing and studying the emotional experience of caregiving work. The articles and editorial explore the implications of whole person organizational and social supports, (un)shared social location between caregivers and patients, the complexity and consequences of emotional experience, and novel measurement and analytic tools to study them.
Risk of Child Maltreatment in Chinese Teenage and Young Mothers With Rapid Repeat Pregnancy: The Moderating Role of Family Cohesion and Support From Friends
Authors: Tung Keith T.S. , Wong Rosa S. , Wong Wilfred H.S. , Lam Almen L.N. , Tso Winnie W.Y. , Ho Matthew S.P. , Ho Frederick K.W. , Lo Camilla K.M. , Chow Chun Bong , Chan Ko Ling , Ip Patrick
Published: March 2020

Rapid repeat pregnancy (RRP) often occurs in teenage and young mothers. Mothers with a history of RRP are more likely to experience high stress increasing their risk of child maltreatment. Despite these challenges, some mothers can continue to cope adaptively. Social support may play a role in empowering these mothers to overcome the childbearing difficulties. Although the protective effects of social support are well recognized, there has been little evidence on the relative importance of sources of support. For example, whether support from family and friends is equally important in relieving parenting stress remains unanswered. RRP, a social phenomenon encompassing various adverse living and parenting issues, provides an ideal research context to investigate the role of family and friends in preventing child maltreatment. This study examined whether family cohesion and friends’ support moderated the association between RRP and child maltreatment in young mothers. We recruited 392 Chinese teenage and young mothers from a population-based integrated young mothers supporting program in Hong Kong. Questionnaires on pregnancy history, family cohesion, social support, and risk of child maltreatment were administered. Moderation analysis was conducted to examine the effect of RRP on child maltreatment as a function of family cohesion or friend support. Results showed that RRP was associated with a higher risk of child neglect (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.72, p < .05) and physical maltreatment (aOR = 1.91, p < .01), and that family cohesion was more important than friend support in mitigating the risk of child maltreatment for mothers with a history of RRP. Our findings suggest that interventions for young mothers, particularly those with a history of RRP, should be family-based so the whole family can be empowered to tackle the childrearing burden.
Special Education Teacher Shortage: Differences Between High and Low Shortage States
Authors: Peyton David J. , Acosta Kelly , Harvey Alexandria , Pua Daisy J. , Sindelar Paul T. , Mason-Williams Loretta , Dewey Jim , Fisher Tiffany L. , Crews Emily
Published: March 2020

In this study, using Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) personnel data from 2006 to 2014, we identified seven states with consistently low shortages of highly qualified special education teachers and seven states with persistently high shortages. We employed Guarino et al.’s framework to guide our assumptions and selection of demographic, supply, and demand variables and compared two groups in this descriptive analysis. We found significant differences across supply and demand variables. Low shortage states make greater investments in per pupil expenditures; have higher teacher salaries, generally; have greater preparation capacity; and produce more special education graduates. Taken together, our findings suggest that special education teaching is a relatively better job in low shortage states than in high shortage states. We situate the discussion of our findings within policy recommendations that states may use to address shortages. Limitations of our analysis are addressed, and implications for future research are proposed.
Navigating cultural intimacy in Tasmanian Aboriginal public culture
Authors: Berk Christopher D
Published: March 2020

This article examines the utility of, and embarrassment around, strategic essentialism in Tasmanian Aboriginal public culture. My argument is informed by extensive participant observation in community-led education programs. Australia’s Tasmanian Aboriginal community has historically been defined by outsiders in terms of racial and cultural deficiencies. These judgments preceded and followed their supposed 1876 extinction. These education programs, catering primarily to elementary school students, idealized Tasmanian Aboriginal culture by emphasizing continuity and connection into deep antiquity. They also included moments in which private anxieties about essentialism, deficiency, and what I term their taxonomical fuzziness are made public. The delicate interplay between essentialism and private feelings about loss, appearance, and cultural inferiority is best understood in relation to Herzfeld’s “cultural intimacy.” I argue that approaching public culture through this concept forces researchers to engage with the pervasive fluency of stereotypes through which Native and Indigenous voices regularly must speak in order to be heard.
A comparative study on the effect of higher acrylate on cross-linkable PMMA used as environment friendly latexes
Authors: Shukla Sweta
Published: March 2020

The kinetics of emulsion polymerization of monomers methyl methacrylate (MMA)/ n-butyl methacrylate (BMA) was studied to investigate the effect of cross-linkable monomer poly(propylene glycol diacrylate) (PPGDA). The results showed that by the incorporation of PPGDA rate constant of reaction decreased. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope were used to characterize the synthesized polymers. The thermal analysis of samples was done by differential scanning calorimetry, and the results were compared by the previous studies with MMA/ n-butyl acrylate (BA) and MMA/2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA). The glass transition temperature ( T g) values show that the latexes prepared using BA and EHA as comonomer was suitable for binder purpose, but in the present study the T g is not suitable in case of BMA as higher acrylate comonomer. That may be due to more cross-linking in MMA-BMA-PPGDA. The results conclude that the BA and EHA can be used as the binder, but the use of BMA is limited for the binder in coating applications.
Binder-free reduced graphene oxide as electrode material for efficient supercapacitor with aqueous and polymer electrolytes
Authors: Karakoti Manoj , Jangra Ritu , Pandey Sandeep , Dhapola Pawan Singh , Dhali Sunil , Mahendia Suman , Singh Pramod K , Sahoo Nanda Gopal
Published: March 2020

The demand for energy and energy storage devices is the urgent need of our society due to heavy dependence on electric appliances. Hence, the demand of graphene-like smart materials has grown tremendously in the past years. Herein, we investigated the binder-free graphene allies named reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as electrode materials for the supercapacitor after the reduction of graphene oxide by sinking and leaving process. The rGO-based devices show the areal specific capacitance of 80.2 and 7.89 mF cm−2 with aqueous 1M phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and poly (vinyl alcohol)-H3PO4 polymer gel electrolytes, respectively, over the graphite sheet.
An assembling algorithm for fixture in an assembly process planning system
Authors: Liu Xiaojun , Xu Xiaokang , Yi Yang , Ni Zhonghua , Zhang Yang
Published: March 2020

Three-dimensional assembly process planning is a precondition for achieving full product lifecycle management based on three-dimensional modelling. Information expression and management operations of fixture models are key to three-dimensional assembly process planning systems. To reasonably and efficiently achieve the goal of planning assembly processes with a fixture model, the application of a fixture information model to a three-dimensional assembly process planning system is investigated. First, to manage tooling information, a fixture information model is defined that consists of management information, display information, geometric information, assembly constraints and degrees of freedom. Then, based on the analysis of the degrees of freedom of components and the assembly constraint relationship, a method of solving assembly constraints based on degrees of freedom reasoning is proposed. Finally, by using the method of solving assembly positioning based on geometric constraints, the pose transformation and assembly positioning of parts are achieved. Through the development of a tooling function module, the three-dimensional assembly process planning system is improved. The feasibility of the above method is verified using part of a spacecraft as an example.
Status review and research strategies on product-service supply chain
Authors: Xu Zhitao , Elomri Adel , Zhang Qin , Liu Caijie , Shi Lin
Published: March 2020

This study draws a holistic view of the supply chain with three service strategies – namely, after-sales service; maintenance, repair and operations; and the product-service system – by analysing over 71 articles in this field. In this investigation, the content analysis is used to scrutinize the research to establish the knowledge, reveal the research opportunities and propose research strategies. The supply chain for product-service system depends more heavily on the implementation of the cooperation, collaboration and integration principles in operation. However, a complete analysis reveals that those crucial principles did not embody in current literature. Current research also failed to discuss the service operation decisions by modelling the intricate relations among them in a broad product-service supply chain context. Thus, the future research directions include developing service demand forecasting models; combining the time-series methods and the causal methods; establishing service resource planning models; addressing the relations between service deliverables, service capacity and the service resource; and strengthening the quantitative evaluation of the product-service supply chain performance with a systemic view. Moreover, by addressing the principles of cooperation, collaboration and integration, the added values of this review are the proposed research strategies for integrated forecasting of product services, integrated product-service resource allocation and scheduling, and systematic performance evaluation of the product-service supply chain. The findings and the proposed research strategies develop an in-depth understanding of product-service supply chain applications and serve as a basis for future research.
Cutting performance investigation based on the variable friction model by considering sliding velocity and limiting stress
Authors: Li Xin , Shi Zhenyu , Duan Ningmin , Cui Peng , Zhang Shuai , Zhang Xianzhi
Published: March 2020

Fast and accurate cutting force prediction is still one of the most complex problems and challenges in the machining research community. In this study, a modified finite element model is presented to predict cutting force and cutting length in turning operations of AISI 1018. Unlike the existing research, in which the mean friction coefficient μ was taken, a variable friction coefficient μ involving the sliding velocity between chip and tool is presented in this article. The sticking–sliding friction model is adopted, and the maximum limiting stress in sticking region is calculated by considering the thermal softening and normal stress distribution. Experiments have been performed for machining AISI 1018 using tungsten carbide tool, and simulation results have been compared to experiments. The simulation results of the modified finite element model have shown better outputs in predicting cutting force, tangential force, and tool–chip contact length on the rake face. The results of this article not only are meaningful to optimize tool design and cutting parameters but also can provide a clear understanding of contact behavior between tool rake face and chip.
Effects of preheating and cooling on the crack defects of laser solid formed Rene 104 superalloy parts
Authors: Ying Weisheng , Han Fuzhu , Wang Junhua
Published: March 2020

In this study, laser solid forming technology has been used to fabricate Rene 104 nickel-based superalloy parts, and severe crack problems were found during the laser solid forming process. To solve the crack problems, the effects of preheating and cooling on the microstructure and crack defects of the laser solid forming Rene 104 superalloy were experimentally investigated. The experimental results demonstrated that crack intensity in parts obtained using laser solid forming decreased with the increase in the preheating temperature. However, when the cooling process was not controlled, the parts obtained using laser solid forming would still exhibit severe crack problems even if the preheating temperature was increased to 750 °C. Therefore, instead of natural cooling, a slow cooling strategy was used after the laser solid forming process in the experiments. It was proved that decreasing the cooling rate of the substrate also helped in eliminating the cracks. Using the slow cooling strategy, crack-free Rene 104 superalloy parts could be fabricated at a relatively low preheating temperature. Moreover, it was found that the multiple growth direction of columnar dendrites under high preheating temperature restricted the propagation of cracks. The microsegregation of Al and Ti in the interdendritic regions decreased when the slow cooling strategy was used, leading to improvements in ductility. Aside from the evolution of the microstructure, the relief of thermal stress during the slow cooling process was another important reason for eliminating the cracks.
A fractal model of contact between rough surfaces for a complete loading–unloading process
Authors: Yuan Yuan , Xu Kuo , Zhao Ke
Published: March 2020

The mechanical properties of contact between rough surfaces play an important role in the reliability of the electromechanical system. In order to improve the design accuracy of precision instruments, an elastic-plastic contact model for three-dimensional rough surfaces based on the fractal theory is developed for a complete loading–unloading process based on the Majumdar and Bhushan model. The truncation size distribution functions of asperities for different values of asperity level in the loading process are given. Relationships between true contact area and total contact load in the complete loading–unloading process are obtained according to the truncation size distribution functions of asperities. The results show the range of asperity levels has significant effects on contact mechanical behaviors of fractal rough surfaces. When the first six levels of asperities do not exceed the critical elastic level, the fractal rough surfaces exhibit elastic behavior in a complete contact process, and the load–area relationships in the loading and unloading processes are coincident approximately. When the critical elastic level is less than the minimum level of asperity, the inelastic deformation begins to appear in fractal rough surfaces and the true contact area during the unloading process is always greater than the true area during the loading process for a given total contact load. In comparison with the K-K-E model, the present model is proved to be reasonable.