bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of a Medical Clown on Pain During Intravenous Access in the Pediatric Emergency Department
Authors: Wolyniez Ido , Rimon Ayelet , Scolnik Dennis , Gruber Alejandro , Tavor Oren , Haviv Eli , Glatstein Miguel
Published: September 2013

Background. We report the effect of the presence of a medical clown during insertion of an intravenous catheter during their emergency department visit. Methods. Prospectively randomized to either the presence or absence of a male medical clown during the procedure. Pain was assessed using the Faces Pain Scale–Revised in children 4 to 7 years old, and visual analog scales in children 8 years and older. Parental situational anxiety was recorded using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory after the procedure. Results. The presence of a medical clown during a painful procedure in the pediatric emergency department tended to improve pain scores in children younger than 7 years. Parental situational anxiety was significantly reduced in parents of children older than 8 years ( P = .02). Conclusion. Therapeutic clowns are useful for diminishing pain and anxiety during painful procedures being performed on children in the emergency department.
Lymphangiogenesis and Lymphatic Function in Periodontal Disease
Authors: Berggreen E. , Wiig H.
Published: September 2013

Lymphatic vessels return extravasated fluid, proteins, and cells back into the circulation and are important in immune cell trafficking. In the gingiva, lymphatic vessels are located in the lamina propria and travel over the external surface of the alveolar bone. The gingival lymphatics are important for fluid drainage, since lack of lymphatics has been shown to increase interstitial fluid pressure and fluid volume. Maintenance of gingival lymphatic vessels requires continuous signaling by the growth factors VEGF-C and -D via their receptor VEGFR-3. The growth factors are expressed in the gingival epithelium and also in immune cells in the lamina propria. VEGF-C seems to be crucial for lymphangiogenesis induced during periodontal disease development. The lymphatic vessels protect against periodontitis in mice, probably by clearing bacteria and bacterial products and by promoting humoral immune responses. Down-regulation of CCL21, a ligand important for dendritic cell migration, has been demonstrated in lymphatics from patients with periodontitis. High enzymatic activity in the gingiva of these patients may also contribute to impaired lymphatic function, due to the loss of structural components in the interstitium influencing lymphatic function. So far, knowledge is limited in this field because of the dearth of studies on the role of lymphatic vessels in periodontal disease.
Problematizing Mobility: A Metaphor of Stickiness, Non-Places and the Kinetic Elite
Authors: Costas Jana
Published: September 2013

A ‘mobilities turn’ has taken place in the social sciences, which is finding its way into organization studies. As research highlights how work and organization are mobile and spatially dispersed, metaphors of liquidity, flows, fluidity and nomads have become significant. This article seeks to contribute to the mobilities turn by introducing the Sartrean metaphor of stickiness. In contrast to the currently dominant movement metaphors, this metaphor brings into focus ambiguities and frictions and overcomes problematic connotations of nomadism and sedentarism. The paper draws on the metaphor of stickiness to reveal the kinetic elite’s – the group of highly mobile elite workers – experiences of ‘non-places’ (Augé, 1995), which are ephemeral, interchangeable and monotonous spaces of mobility. Qualitative data gathered at two management consultancy firms show how the stickiness of being on the move can give rise to experiences of ambiguity, disorientation and loss: the lures of glamour, escape and liberation from places can collide with non-places that involve fixed instability, feeling stuck and that stick to one even when returning to places. In so doing, the article develops how the metaphor of stickiness can constitute an important lens for understanding and conceptualizing mobilities.
Putting Power in its Place: The Centrality of Edgelands
Authors: Hirst Alison , Humphreys Michael
Published: September 2013

Many organizations use spatial reconfiguration as an attempt to transform and modernize their work practices and external image. While most studies have focused on the way high status new offices are used to showcase putatively changed organizational practices, less attention has been paid to the peripheral sites which service them. Drawing on a longitudinal ethnographic study of an initiative to modernize a UK local authority via spatial redesign, we analyse the relationship between a new strategic centre office building and a paper storage unit situated in an ‘edgeland’. Edgelands are interfacial areas between town and country and are sites where essential but despised functions are located (Shoard, 1992). Based on an understanding of power as something that is created through relationships with nonhuman actors, we foreground the spatial and temporal agency of buildings, artefacts and places. We show how ‘modernization’ involves attempts to create a purified space constructed only from human and material actors deemed ‘modern’, and expel that which is designated as outdated. In our study, the edgeland site functioned to maintain the centre as a pristine environment in which fluid networking could flourish, and preserve the external image of the organization as transformed and modernized. Thus, we illustrate the dependence of high status workplaces on functions, objects and people which contradict projected desired images.
Characteristics of a Danish population of adults with acquired deafblindness receiving rehabilitation services
Authors: Dammeyer Jesper
Published: September 2013

The aim of this study is to report on the characteristics of a population of 916 individuals with acquired deafblindness receiving national Danish counselling and rehabilitation services. Age, gender, prevalence, social status, and communication mode are some of the data included in this study. Results show that 70% of the population was older than 79 years, 15% was between 65 and 79 years, and 15% of the population was younger than 65 years. Oral speech was used by 86%, sign language by 10%, and tactile sign language by 4%. Among individuals younger than 65 years, less than 50% was employed or in education. Results are discussed with respect to the organization of the Danish counselling and rehabilitation service system.
Unified English Braille in the United Kingdom: Part 2 – Examination by literary Braille users, Braille teachers, and transcribers
Authors: Cryer Heather , Home Sarah , Morley Wilkins Sarah
Published: September 2013

To inform decision-making around the adoption of the Unified English Braille (UEB) code in the United Kingdom, a suite of research was carried out. This study involved a variety of braille stakeholders – student braille readers (in full time education), adult braille readers, braille teachers, and braille transcribers. Participants were sent samples of literary materials in UEB and asked to read them without training or reference to UEB symbols lists. A total of 27 participants gave feedback about their experiences of reading the UEB samples and discussed their views on UEB through focus groups. Overall, participants were able to read and understand the UEB samples and identified various advantages and disadvantages of the code. Opinions varied about the future of UEB in the United Kingdom, with some participants resisting the change and others in favour of adoption.
Constructing “Proper” ROCs from Ordinal Response Data Using Weighted Power Functions
Authors: Mossman Douglas , Peng Hongying
Published: September 2013

Background. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis is the standard method for describing the accuracy of diagnostic systems where the decision task involves distinguishing between 2 mutually exclusive possibilities. The popular binormal curve-fitting model usually produces ROCs that are improper in that they do not have the ever-decreasing slope required by signal detection theory. Not infrequently, binormal ROCs have visible hooks that falsely imply worse-than-chance diagnostic differentiation where the curve lies below the no-information diagonal. In this article, we present and evaluate a 2-parameter, weighted power function (WPF) model that always results in a proper ROC curve with a positive, monotonically decreasing slope. Methods. We used a computer simulation study to compare results from binormal and WPF models. Results. The WPF model produces ROC curves that are less biased and closer to the true values than are curves obtained using the binormal model. The better performance of the WPF model follows from its design constraint as a necessarily proper ROC. Conclusions. The WPF model fits a broader variety of data sets than previously published power function models while maintaining straightforward relationships among the original decision variable, specific operating points, ROC curve contours, and model parameters. Compared with other proper ROC models, the WPF model is distinctive in its simplicity, and it avoids the flaws of the conventional binormal ROC model.
Subsistence Consumer-Merchant Marketplace Deviance in Marketing Systems
Authors: Upadhyaya Shikha , Vann Richard J. , Camacho Sonia , Baker Courtney Nations , Leary R. Bret , Mittelstaedt John D. , Rosa José Antonio
Published: September 2013

This article examines deviant marketplace behaviors that appear in marketing systems involving subsistence consumer merchants, and their beneficial and detrimental implications. Deviant marketplace behaviors are violations of social norms that often arise among subsistence consumer merchants facing conflicting normative goals and incompatible means for meeting such goals. Social and environmental factors that exacerbate such conflicts, common in bottom-of-the-pyramid marketplaces, are explored within a deviant behavior typology. The research uses ethnographic data gathered from subsistence consumer-merchants to illustrate ways in which deviant behavior can be beneficial or detrimental and the unique challenges that partnering with subsistence consumer merchants may entail. It also provides insights into what conflicting norms and deviance engender in marketing systems.
Shape space planner for shape-accelerated balancing mobile robots
Authors: Nagarajan Umashankar , Hollis Ralph
Published: September 2013

This paper introduces shape-accelerated balancing systems as a special class of underactuated systems wherein their shape configurations can be mapped to the accelerations in the position space. These systems are destabilized by gravitational forces and have non-integrable constraints on their dynamics. Balancing mobile robots, such as the ballbot, are examples of such systems. The ballbot is a human-sized dynamically stable mobile robot that balances on a single ball. This paper presents a shape trajectory planner that uses dynamic constraint equations to plan trajectories in the shape space, which when tracked will result in approximate tracking of desired position trajectories. The planner can handle systems with more shape variables than position variables, and can also handle cases where a subset of the shape variables is artificially constrained. Experimental results are shown on the ballbot with arms where different desired position space motions are achieved by tracking shape space motions of either body lean angles, or arm angles or combinations of the two; and also by tracking only the body lean motions while the arm angles are artificially constrained.
Coronary computed tomography angiography at 140 kV versus 120 kV: assessment of image quality and radiation exposure in overweight and moderately obese patients
Authors: Lee Ashley M , Engel Leif-Christopher , Hui Gladwin C , Liew Gary , Ferencik Maros , Sidhu Manavjot S , Hoffmann Udo , Ghoshhajra Brian B
Published: September 2013

Background

Although a tube potential of 140 kV is available on most computed tomography (CT) scanners, its incremental diagnostic value versus 120 kV has been controversial.

Purpose

To retrospectively evaluate the image quality and radiation exposure of cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) performed at 140 kV in comparison to CCTA at 120 kV in overweight and moderately obese patients.

Material and Methods

Eighty-eight patients who were referred for CCTA between January 2010 and May 2012 were included. Forty-four patients who were overweight or moderately obese (body mass index [BMI], 25–35 kg/m2) underwent CCTA with dual-source CT (DSCT) scanner at 140 kV. Forty-four match controls who underwent CCTA with DSCT at 120 kV were identified per BMI, average heart rate, scan indication, and scan acquisition mode. All scans were performed per routine protocols with direct physician supervision. Quantitative image metrics (CT attenuation, image noise, contrast-to-noise ratio [CNR], and signal-to-noise ratio [SNR] of left main [LM] and proximal right coronary artery [RCA]) were assessed. Effective radiation dose was compared between the two groups.

Results

Overall, all scans were diagnostic without any non-evaluable coronary segment per clinical report. 140 kV had a lower attenuation and image noise versus 120 kV ( P < 0.01). Both SNR and CNR of proximal coronary arteries were similar between 140 kV and 120 kV (SNR, LM P = 0.93, RCA P = 0.62; CNR, LM P = 0.57, RCA P = 0.77). 140 kV was associated with a 35.3% increase in effective radiation dose as compared with 120 kV (5.1 [3.6–8.2] vs. 3.3 [2.0–5.1] mSv, respectively; P < 0.01).

Conclusion

140 kV CCTA resulted in similar image quality but a higher effective radiation dose in comparison to 120 kV CCTA. Therefore, in overweight and moderately obese patients, a tube potential of 120 kV may be sufficient for CCTA with diagnostic image quality.
Frictional energy dissipation in Hertzian contact under biaxial tangential harmonically varying loads
Authors: Ciavarella Michele
Published: September 2013

If a Hertzian contact is loaded by a tangential force which varies direction in time, the classical solution due to Cattaneo and Mindlin does not hold, and a numerical solution is needed. Here, we deal with the important practical case when the force describes an ellipse in the loading space, that is, the components have harmonic variation, with the in-phase (uniaxial) case being the limiting Cattaneo–Mindlin problem. We observe convergence to a steady state within the second cycle of oscillatory loading, and we describe the dependence of frictional dissipation, important both as a source of structural damping and as an indicator of potential fretting damage, on the parameters of the problem. The results show that the dissipation depends significantly on the biaxiality ratio between the tangential load components, particularly so when their amplitude is close to the full sliding limit. We find steady-state dissipation to be higher than the corresponding Cattaneo–Mindlin case for low tangential forces (with a maximum of dissipation for a rotating load). The increase is of the order of 15% only, whereas the decrease for large tangential forces seems to be more significant. This is vaguely similar to the case recently studied when the tangential force was of constant direction, but normal and tangential loads were oscillating harmonically and out of phase: this suggests that in the general case, the dissipation may be significantly larger when all the loads are out of phase.
Predictive Validity and Accuracy of Oral Reading Fluency for English Learners
Authors: Vanderwood Michael L. , Tung Catherine Y. , Checca C. Jason
Published: September 2013

The predictive validity and accuracy of an oral reading fluency (ORF) measure for a statewide assessment in English language arts was examined for second-grade native English speakers (NESs) and English learners (ELs) with varying levels of English proficiency. In addition to comparing ELs with native English speakers, the impact of English proficiency was examined among ELs. The results suggest that the predictive validity of ORF is stronger for native English speakers than for ELs. ORF scores for ELs with intermediate English proficiency were less correlated to the state assessment than for other EL subgroups. Similarly, the predictive accuracy of ORF was found to vary by English proficiency. Results suggest that ELs should not be treated as a homogeneous group and that cut scores should be used with caution.
Adolescent Spiritual Exemplars
Authors: Ebstyne King Pamela , Clardy Casey E. , Ramos Jenel Sánchez
Published: September 2013

This qualitative study aimed to develop theory about psychological constructs relevant to spiritual development in diverse adolescents. Exemplar and Consensual Qualitative Research methods were used to explore 30 interviews of adolescents aged 12 to 21 years ( M = 17.73 years) representing eight religions and six countries from around the world. Participants were nominated for living with profound spirituality within their own culture and completed semistructured interviews in their country of origin. After several iterations of analysis, participants’ discussions of spirituality in their lives were explored in terms of three dimensions of spirituality present in their lives: transcendence, fidelity, and behavior. Findings are considered in light of existing developmental theory, and implications for adolescent development are discussed.
Does Parental Autonomy Support Relate to Adolescent Autonomy? An In-Depth Examination of a Seemingly Simple Question
Authors: Fousiani Kyriaki , Van Petegem Stijn , Soenens Bart , Vansteenkiste Maarten , Chen Beiwen
Published: September 2013

In contemporary research on autonomy development, autonomy has been defined as independence (vs. dependence) or as self-endorsed (vs. controlled) functioning. Analogously, perceived parental autonomy support involves either perceived parental promotion of independence (PI) or perceived parental promotion of volitional functioning (PVF). The primary aim of the present study among Belgian and Greek adolescents ( N = 658; 58% girls; M age = 16.3 years) was to examine associations between the two types of parental autonomy support, on one hand, and the two types of adolescent autonomy, on the other hand. The secondary aim was to investigate the moderating role of various background variables (i.e., gender, country of residence, and age) in these associations. As hypothesized, perceived parental PVF was related to adolescents’ self-endorsed (vs. controlled) motives. The relation between perceived parental PI and adolescent independence was qualified by an interaction with perceived parental PVF. Finally, although mean-level differences in the study constructs were found across gender, country, and adolescent age, the structural associations among constructs were invariant across these demographic groupings. These findings provide further insights in the complex dynamics involved in adolescent autonomy development in multiple national contexts.
Thermal and impedance studies of poly(vinylidene chloride-co-acrylonitrile)-based gel polymer electrolyte
Authors: Mathew Chithra M , Shanthi M , Rajendran S
Published: September 2013

Poly(vinylidene chloride- co-acrylonitrile)-based gel polymer electrolytes are obtained using solution casting technique. The ionic conductivity and thermal behavior of polymer electrolytes have been investigated as a function of wt% of ethylene carbonate (EC). The thermal decompositions of polymer electrolytes have been determined by thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis in the temperature range between 30 and 800°C. All the polymer complexes can be operated upto 170°C. This range well includes the operating temperature range of the lithium polymer batteries incorporating these materials. Bulk resistance of the electrolyte from alternating current (AC) impedance analysis gives the optimal EC ratio as 80 wt% for maximum ionic conductivity.
Characterization of polyethylene-based multiphase systems containing zero- and two-dimensional nanoparticulate reinforcement materials by analytical electron and atomic force microscopy
Authors: Mittal Vikas , Matsko Nadejda
Published: September 2013

Multiphase polymer nanomaterials with reinforcements of different structural features have immense commercial applications. Characterization of the morphological features in these nanocomposites like filler dispersion, effect of filler and compatibilizer on polymer phase morphology, interaction of filler and compatibilizer, and so on is of significant importance as these shape the composite behavior and properties. To study these aspects, polyethylene (PE) nanocomposites generated with and without compatibilizer using two different types of fillers were comprehensively characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) including analytical TEM (e.g. energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS)). Differential scanning calorimetric analysis was performed in order to quantify thermotropical properties of the nanocomposites. The filler dispersion was poor in the absence of compatibilizer, whereas its addition enhanced the filler delamination owing to the positive interactions between the polar filler surface and polar component of the compatibilizer. The compatibilizer addition also decreased the melt enthalpy due to reduced crystallinity along with change in polymer phase morphology. The filler pullout was also observed even in the compatibilized samples leading to higher AFM height variation in these composites. The EELS and EDXS analysis was further useful in analyzing the type of filler phase as well as interactions between the filler and compatibilizer phases. The compatibilizer was also observed to concentrate near the interface with the filler as signal of oxygen atoms associated with compatibilizer chains did not enhance in matrix, but increased at organic–inorganic interface.
Veto players and policy adaptability: An intertemporal perspective
Authors: Tommasi Mariano , Scartascini Carlos , Stein Ernesto
Published: September 2013

The capacity to sustain policies over time and the capacity to adjust policies in the face of changing circumstances are two desirable properties of policymaking systems. Veto player theory, a very influential approach in comparative politics, has suggested that polities with more veto players will have the capacity to sustain policies at the expense of the ability to change policy when necessary. This paper argues that once intertemporal considerations are explicitly included, it is not necessarily true that polities with more stable and credible policies have more difficulty in adapting their policies, nor that polities with more veto players have more difficulty in adjusting policies to new circumstances. More generally, the paper argues that, when studying the effects of political institutions on policy outcomes, an intertemporal perspective might lead to predictions different from those emanating from more a-temporal approaches.
Reform or revolution? Theory and evidence on the role of the middle class in the rise of universal male suffrage
Authors: Xi Tianyang
Published: September 2013

This paper presents a theoretical account of suffrage extensions from a specific perspective: the strategic role of the middle class in the struggle for political power. Extensions are analyzed as a game among three players: the elite, the middle class, and the poor. To thwart the threat presented by the poor, the elite had to cede economic and political power to the middle class, who in turn might have an interest in extending suffrage further, either immediately or in some future. Whether suffrage was extended to the poor in one step or first only to the middle class depended on state’s capacity to repress and the strength of the middle class, along with some economic variables. Consistent with this theory, empirical results show that suffrage extensions did not reduce rebellious activity, but rather that economic growth and military power are strong predictors of decreases in the number of rebellions.
A review of parallel and series turbocharging for the diesel engine
Authors: Zhang Qingning , Pennycott Andrew , Brace Chris J
Published: September 2013

Several turbocharger units can be used for engine boosting in series or parallel arrangements in which they are phased in and out according to the operating conditions of the engine. This technology has the potential to facilitate downsizing of automotive engines in order to yield benefits in terms of their transient performance, the fuel consumption and emissions output. This review investigates the benefits and drawbacks of series and parallel turbocharging arrangements. Since the effectiveness of using the boosting technology crucially depends on the control scheme applied, developments in the modelling and control approaches used in single-stage, series and parallel turbocharging are also examined. In comparison with single-stage turbocharging, using several turbochargers in series or parallel can provide a faster transient response without compromising the fuel consumption, while also having the potential to provide higher boost pressures. Novel non-linear and robust control approaches have demonstrated improvements in performance and robustness over traditional approaches used in commercial engine control relying on separate control loops for the different engine variables.
Aplastic anemia secondary to azathioprine in systemic lupus erythematosus: report of a case with normal thiopurine S-methyltransferase enzyme activity and review of the literature
Authors: Yeter KC , Afkhami M , Brynes RK , Quismorio FP
Published: September 2013

Azathioprine-induced aplastic anemia and fatal myelosuppression is a rare occurrence in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We report a case of a 53-year-old female with a normal thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) level who developed aplastic anemia within 4 weeks of azathioprine initiation, resulting in death. Physicians should be vigilant in monitoring routine blood work when administering azathioprine, a relatively common drug, in patients with SLE.
The effectiveness of European Regional Development Fund projects in Greece:  Views from planners, management staff and beneficiaries
Authors: Spilanis Ioannis , Kizos Thanasis , Giordano Benito
Published: September 2013

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is the most significant of the Structural Funds in terms of budget and range of thematic priorities. For the purposes of this paper, we argue that three different levels in multi-level governance emerge in their planning and management: the higher (European and national) level planning; the lower level (beneficiaries); and the intermediate level of (national and regional) planning and management. We discuss the views and practices of intermediate managers and beneficiaries to gain insights on the effectiveness of ERDF interventions on the island of Lesvos (Voreio Aigaio region, Greece), with interviews with a number of key stakeholders and beneficiaries. The findings suggest differences and contrasting views on the role of ERDF funding among the different levels. Local politics also affect the effectiveness by influencing the administration, planning and management of ERDF implementation.
The Family Conference in Palliative Medicine
Authors: Powazki Ruth D. , Walsh Declan
Published: September 2013

A family conference (FC) is an opportunity for the family and their physician to share their knowledge and concerns about the physical and psychosocial dimensions of care. Appropriate communication principles and practice are both important for an effective FC. The FCs guided by common sense principles and sound clinical practice (good structure, content, and process) have beneficial outcomes. (1) Creation of a therapeutic partnership so the family and medical team collaborate in the difficult task of sophisticated medical and psychosocial care of a complex illness. (2) Enhanced therapeutic management through education and support of the patient and primary caregiver (and other family members) to facilitate self-efficacy and convey realistic hope with careful sequencing of key messages. (3) Easier patient transitions from cure- to care-oriented management, with a formal (yet thoughtful and gentle) introduction to the principles and practice of modern palliative medicine.
Comparison of Accuracy Among Prognostic Scores for Predicting Life Expectancy in Korean Patients With Cancer With Weeks of Survival
Authors: Yoon Seok-Joon , Jung Jin-Gyu , Kim Jong-Sung , Kim Sung-Soo , Kim Samyong
Published: September 2013

To compare the accuracy among 4 prognostic scores (Palliative Prognostic Score (PaP), Delirium-PaP (D-PaP), Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI), Objective Prognostic Score (OPS)) for predicting life expectancy in Korean cancer patients with weeks of survival, we conducted a retrospective study by reviewing medical records of 94 patients and compared the accuracy of 3-week and 30-day survival among the 4 prognostic scores. Three-week survival estimates were highest for the PaP and 30-day estimates were similar for the 4 prognostic scores. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was highest for the PaP and lowest for the PPI, but there were no significant differences. The prognostics scores did not differ from each other in a significant manner.
Patterns of Pain Medication Use During Last Months of Life in HIV-Infected Populations
Authors: Ruiz Marco , Armstrong Megan , Ogboukiri Tina , Anwar Dominique
Published: September 2013

Introduction:

This article describes the patterns of use of pain medicines of HIV-infected patients during last months of life in an HIV university-affiliated outpatient clinic.

Methods:

We retrospectively reviewed our databases and identified patients who died over the last 12 months in our clinic. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory information were abstracted.

Results:

A total of 41 patients died in our HIV outpatient clinic in a period of 12 months. Opioid analgesics were prescribed for 21 (51%) patients, with 10 (48%) of these patients prescribed short-acting opioid analgesics alone, In all, 11 patients (52%) were on a short-acting and long-acting opioid combination, and 30 (73%) patients experienced pain that was not adequately controlled.

Discussion:

Pain control during the last months of life for this population appears to be suboptimal. Better strategies are needed.
On structural computations until fracture based on an anisotropic and unilateral damage theory
Authors: Genet Martin , Marcin Lionel , Ladevèze Pierre
Published: September 2013

This paper describes the formulation and numerical implementation of a family of anisotropic and unilateral damage models for the prediction of damage and final rupture in engineering structures. The damage can be load oriented, microstructure oriented, or (for the first time within this modeling framework) softening. The local equations are solved using a combination of fixed-point and Newton–Raphson algorithms, whose efficiencies are drastically improved through Aitken’s relaxation and BFGS approximation. A delay-effect method is used to control the localization of damage, which leads to an objective calculation of the final rupture of structures.
The imaging stability enhancement of optical payload using multiple vibration isolation platforms
Authors: Yao Zhang , Jingrui Zhang
Published: September 2013

To reduce high frequency vibration propagated into the optical payload on spacecraft, multiple vibration isolation platforms are employed. This means that the vibration isolation platform can not only be used to isolate the disturbances caused by the actuators such as control moment gyros or the reaction wheels (RWs), but it can also be placed between the spacecraft bus and optical payload. The dynamic modeling of the spacecraft with multiple vibration isolation platforms and its applications are discussed. Firstly, the spacecraft dynamic model with only one vibration isolation platform is derived using the Newton-Euler approach. Then the integrated spacecraft dynamic formulation is obtained based on the above dynamic model with only one vibration isolation platform. Multiple vibration isolation platforms are used to interface the disturbance source with the spacecraft bus. For example, each RW could have a vibration isolation platform to reduce the vibration. The frequency domain characteristics and the safety reliability of the spacecraft with multiple vibration isolation systems are discussed based on the above dynamic model. Finally, the validity of the dynamic model of the integrated spacecraft with multiple vibration isolation platforms can be proved by numerical simulation. Other than that, the simulation results illustrate the ameliorative effect of multiple vibration isolation platforms on the optical payload attitude stabilization.
A More Equitable Approach to Cutting Intergovernmental Aid
Authors: Zhao Bo , Coyne David
Published: September 2013

In response to the recent fiscal crisis, state governments in the United States have deeply cut aid, often by the same percentage across communities. This across-the-board approach ignores local fiscal disparities and places a larger burden on communities in worse underlying fiscal health. This article introduces a more equitable approach to distributing aid cuts based on both underlying local fiscal health and the existing aid distribution. Policy simulations using Massachusetts data show that this approach could be politically feasible, as a majority of communities and state population would receive smaller aid cuts under this gap-based approach than under across-the-board cuts.
Fiscal Policy Shocks and the Dynamics of Asset Prices
Authors: Aye Goodness C. , Balcilar Mehmet , Gupta Rangan , Jooste Charl , Miller Stephen M. , Ozdemir Zeynel Abidin
Published: September 2013

This study assesses how fiscal policy affects the dynamics of asset markets, using Bayesian vector autoregressive models. We use sign restrictions to identify government revenue and government spending shocks, while controlling for generic business cycle and monetary policy shocks. Using South African quarterly data from 1966: Q1 to 2011: Q2, we find that fiscal spending shocks affect stock prices more than house prices. Both spending and revenue shocks affect stock prices whereas only revenue shocks affect house prices.
Measuring Congruence between Property Crime Problems and Response Strategies: Enhancing the Problem-Solving Process
Authors: Bond Brenda J. , Hajjar Lauren M.
Published: September 2013

Property crime in Lowell, Massachusetts is fueled primarily by burglaries, motor vehicle crimes, and larcenies. The Lowell Police Department utilized the Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) to focus problem-solving efforts on property crime hot spots. Problem-solving is an effective crime reduction tool but deficiencies remain in implementing the problem-solving process. This article discusses how Lowell operationalized problem-solving in crime hot spots, focusing on the alignment between property crime problems and response strategies selected to achieve results. We apply the congruence model of organizational behavior, analyzing quantitative and qualitative data to measure the fit between problems and responses. We found a high degree of congruence between the SPI problem-solving components, which likely produced the positive crime reductions observed in the outcome data. By applying the concept of congruence, we offer a framework for strengthening problem solving at the outset through alignment of response strategies to crime problems.
Introducing Smart Policing: Foundations, Principles, and Practice
Authors: Coldren James R. , Huntoon Alissa , Medaris Michael
Published: September 2013

Smart Policing represents an emerging paradigm in American policing that stresses crime reduction and promotes improvement of the evidence base for policing. Smart Policing emphasizes effectively using data and analytics as well as improving analysis, performance measurement, and evaluation research; improving efficiency; and encouraging innovation. This introduction defines Smart Policing in historical and contemporary contexts and discusses several important and emerging characteristics in the local Smart Policing sites, namely, the need to improve the evidence base for policing, the police agency-research partnerships that are emerging in Smart Policing, the type of problems identified and approaches undertaken by the SPI sites, and future issues for Smart Policing.
Commentary on Smart Policing
Authors: Joyce Nola M. , Ramsey Charles H. , Stewart James K.
Published: September 2013

Police professionals and practitioners offer reflections and commentary on the articles describing the Smart Policing Initiatives in Boston, Glendale, Los Angeles, and Lowell. According to the authors, police collaborations are vital to decision making regarding police policies and practices, yet they are not “natural.” Police–researcher collaborations require a conscious effort by both parties to overcome traditional organizational cultures and barriers to collaboration, and to establish, nurture, and maintain trust. The commentators also note the importance of technology and sophisticated analytics, as well as the key role played by problem-solving in Smart Policing Initiatives; a process that, again, requires a strong, trustful research collaboration.
Operation LASER and the Effectiveness of Hotspot Patrol: A Panel Analysis
Authors: Uchida Craig D. , Swatt Marc L.
Published: September 2013

Operation LASER (Los Angeles’ Strategic Extraction and Restoration program) is a program conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department Newton Division to reduce gun violence as part of the Smart Policing Initiative. There are two components to this operation: a chronic offender component and a chronic location component. In the current study, the effectiveness of Operation LASER was assessed at the reporting district (RD) level using a panel design. Initial results indicated that there was a significant reduction in gun crime in RDs in Newton compared to RDs from other divisions. The treatment effect was decomposed into RDs that received both the chronic offender and chronic location components and that received only the chronic offender component. Results suggested that the reduction in gun crime was only observed in those RDs receiving both the chronic offender and location components. Implications of the current study for policy are then discussed.
Evaluating Place-Based Policing Strategies
Authors: Braga Anthony A. , Schnell Cory
Published: September 2013

In response to an increase in violent crime during the mid-2000s, the Boston Police Department implemented the Safe Street Teams program to control “hot spots” that generated a disproportionate amount of violence in Boston through the use of community and problem-oriented policing interventions. Like many police programs, the Safe Street Teams strategy was not implemented with a commitment to conduct a program evaluation. The Smart Policing Initiative provided the Boston Police with an important opportunity to partner with academic researchers to perform retrospective process and impact evaluations. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the concentration and stability of violent crime in targeted places, examine the integrity of program implementation, and conduct a rigorous quasi-experimental analysis of program impacts. These research products established the crime control effectiveness of the Safe Street Teams and assisted the Boston Police in strengthening the implementation of the program.
Social dreaming and ecocentric ethics: sources of non-rational insight in the face of climate change catastrophe
Authors: Gosling Jonathan , Case Peter
Published: September 2013

The article considers the role of dreams as social, rather than individual, phenomena and suggests that as such they may serve as resources for ‘future imaginings’ with respect to potentially devastating consequences of climate change (and other transgressions of planetary boundaries). Adopting a socio-analytical perspective, it contemplates the possibility of a societal level ‘cosmology episode’ caused by catastrophic climate change; a critical point of rupture in the meaning-making process which leaves local rationalities in ruin. Drawing on a ‘representative anecdote’, the article finds allegorical parallels between the cultural collapse of a traditional indigenous culture and the impending threat of ecocrisis currently facing humanity. The possibilities of seeing and imagining offered by collective forms of dreaming are explored alongside development of a non-anthropocentric ethics. Our focus is on ways of sensing, thinking and talking about climate change that are less dependent on a rational conscious subject. The article thus enquires into what cultural means or resources might be available to (post)modern Western societies that, like the shamanic dream-vision of certain traditional cultures, might enable them to draw on non-anthropocentric sensibilities and organize responses to an impending cultural crisis. We conclude by offering Gordon Lawrence’s social dreaming matrix as one possible medium through which to imagine and see beyond climate change catastrophe.
“What if technology worked in harmony with nature?” Imagining climate change through Prius advertisements
Authors: Garland Jennifer , Huising Ruthanne , Struben Jeroen
Published: September 2013

In this article we examine the marketing representations of the Toyota Prius, the first ‘green’ mass-produced automobile. Drawing on an interpretive analysis of Prius print advertisements in Canadian publications between 2006–2011 and a matched sample of other automobile advertisements, we observe how the Prius advertisements invoke imagination and how this process is channelled, via the integration of text and images offered in the advertising space, to particular themes and ideas. Through the use of an ambiguous system of signs, audiences are invited to imagine and thereby co-create the significance of hybrid electric vehicles. Three areas of imagining are emphasized by the advertisement structure—nature, harmony and agency—and we analyze these imaginings as potential moments of knowledge creation about climate change. We examine how the activity of imagining in relation to these three areas influences viewers’ knowledge and perception of climate change as well as their sense of responsibility for anthropogenic climate change. We discuss the consequences of using ambiguous messages to promote socially and politically charged products for consumers’ understanding and imagination.
Contested imaginaries and the cultural political economy of climate change
Authors: Levy David L. , Spicer André
Published: September 2013

This article analyses the evolving cultural political economy of climate change by developing the concept of ‘climate imaginaries’. These are shared socio-semiotic systems that structure a field around a set of shared understandings of the climate. Climate imaginaries imply a particular mode of organizing production and consumption, and a prioritization of environmental and cultural values. We use this concept to examine the struggle among NGOs, business and state agencies over four core climate imaginaries. These are ‘fossil fuels forever’, ‘climate apocalypse’, ‘techno-market’ and ‘sustainable lifestyles’. These imaginaries play a key role in contentions over responses to climate change, and we outline three main episodes in the past two decades: the carbon wars of the 1990s, an emergent carbon compromise between 1998–2008 and a climate impasse from 2009 to the present. However, climate imaginaries only become dominant when they connect with wider popular interests and identities and align with economic and technological aspects of the energy system to constitute ‘value regimes’.
Don’t imagine the future—it’s already here
Authors: McKibben Bill
Published: September 2013

Popular debate about climate change often imagines future worlds. In this short commentary, I argue the reality is far more evident and urgent; we don’t need to imagine the future of climate change because it is already here. We know the carbon budget we must abide by to avoid dangerous climate change and we are already seeing the reality of extreme weather events unimaginable even a decade ago. We know how climate change ends; we now need to try and rewrite this future.
A study of capillary-compensated geometrically imperfect six-pocket hybrid journal bearing of various geometric shapes of recess
Authors: Rajput Arvind K , Sharma Satish C
Published: September 2013

The present paper deals with the theoretical study of geometric imperfections of journal and its influence on the performance of capillary-compensated six-pocket hybrid journal bearing configurations with different geometric shapes of recess. The analysis includes the geometric imperfections of journal such as barrel shape, bellmouth shape, and circumferential undulations and various geometric shapes of recess (square, circular, elliptical, triangular) of same pocket area. The governing Reynolds equation is solved using Galerkin’s technique. The numerically simulated results indicate that the selection of suitable geometric shape of recess is important to have the least influence of different geometric imperfections of journal on the bearing performance.
Imagining the Indian nationalist movement: Revolutionary metaphors in imagery of the freedom struggle
Authors: Maclean Kama
Published: September 2013

Recent interventions suggest that the history of India’s nationalist movement might be profitably reconstructed with reference to visual culture as a way of counteracting both dominant Congress teleologies and the colonial prejudices embedded in governmental records. This article furthers this hypothesis by undertaking a close examination of Desh Chintan, a rich nationalist image from the 1930s. Grounding Desh Chintan against a matrix of archival sources, banned literature, oral history interviews and other posters of the era presents a substantially different picture of the way in which the anti-colonial movement was conceived in the 1930s. This analysis suggests that there was a moment in the freedom struggle in which support for acts of retributive revolutionary violence were unproblematically maintained alongside genuine enthusiasm for the Gandhian program of non-violence.