bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex‐Specific Effects of Adiponectin on Carotid Intima‐Media Thickness and Incident Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Persson Jonas , Strawbridge Rona J. , McLeod Olga , Gertow Karl , Silveira Angela , Baldassarre Damiano , Van Zuydam Natalie , Shah Sonia , Fava Cristiano , Gustafsson Stefan , Veglia Fabrizio , Sennblad Bengt , Larsson Malin , Sabater‐Lleal Maria , Leander Karin , Gigante Bruna , Tabak Adam , Kivimaki Mika , Kauhanen Jussi , Rauramaa Rainer , Smit Andries J. , Mannarino Elmo , Giral Philippe , Humphries Steve E. , Tremoli Elena , de Faire Ulf , Lind Lars , Ingelsson Erik , Hedblad Bo , Melander Olle , Kumari Meena , Hingorani Aroon , Morris Andrew D. , Palmer Colin N. A. , Lundman Pia , Öhrvik John , Söderberg Stefan , Hamsten Anders ,   the IMPROVE Study Group
Published: August 2015

Background

Plasma adiponectin levels have previously been inversely associated with carotid intima‐media thickness (
IMT
), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. In this study, we used a sex‐stratified Mendelian randomization approach to investigate whether adiponectin has a causal protective influence on
IMT
.

Methods and Results

Baseline plasma adiponectin concentration was tested for association with baseline
IMT
,
IMT
progression over 30 months, and occurrence of cardiovascular events within 3 years in 3430 participants (women, n=1777; men, n=1653) with high cardiovascular risk but no prevalent disease. Plasma adiponectin levels were inversely associated with baseline mean bifurcation
IMT
after adjustment for established risk factors (β=−0.018,
P
<0.001) in men but not in women (β=−0.006,
P
=0.185;
P
for interaction=0.061). Adiponectin levels were inversely associated with progression of mean common carotid
IMT
in men (β=−0.0022,
P
=0.047), whereas no association was seen in women (0.0007,
P
=0.475;
P
for interaction=0.018). Moreover, we observed that adiponectin levels were inversely associated with coronary events in women (hazard ratio 0.57, 95%
CI
0.37 to 0.87) but not in men (hazard ratio 0.82, 95%
CI
0.54 to 1.25). A gene score of adiponectin‐raising alleles in 6 loci, reported recently in a large multi‐ethnic meta‐analysis, was inversely associated with baseline mean bifurcation
IMT
in men (β=−0.0008,
P
=0.004) but not in women (β=−0.0003,
P
=0.522;
P
for interaction=0.007).

Conclusions

This report provides some evidence for adiponectin protecting against atherosclerosis, with effects being confined to men; however, compared with established cardiovascular risk factors, the effect of plasma adiponectin was modest. Further investigation involving mechanistic studies is warranted.
Non-coupables! Le non-refoulement, les assurances diplomatiques et la réinstallation des acquittés des juridictions pénales internationales dans leurs pays d’origine
Authors: Savadogo Raymond Ouigou
Published: August 2015

This article addresses an issue henceforth well-known as one of the most topical challenges international criminal justice is subject to: the relocation of acquitted in their home countries. It starts with a mere factual finding on the contextual differences between the situation at the icty, the ictr and the icc while analyzing the legal issues surrounding returning home (unfair trials, personal safety, double jeopardy) before leaving room to a gripping and dialectical discussion on the applicability of the non-refoulement to international organizations. Are legal non-state entities – such as icc and ictr as a subsidiary body of the un Security Council – legally liable for returning an acquitted person back to his country where his life would be threatened because of his political opinions or his membership to a particular group? The article identifies diplomatic assurances as a possible avenue, while listing the indicators and the conditions of validity of such assurances.
The Canon of Love against the Use of Force in Islamic and Public International Law. Part ii: The Anatomy of Love against Violations
Authors: Malekian Farhad
Published: August 2015

Love is a norm of concern of all states and its boundaries reach even beyond the erga omnes principle but ignorance constitutes the great deficiency of human beings in Islamic and public international law. Both legal disciplines are not only against cruel human violations but also any other minor wrong. The differences between them are not as significant as first assumed. Instead, it is the other way around: the similarities are so significant as to include the very cornerstones of the various frameworks and systems, namely, their underlying principles. A wide-ranging interpretation of Islamic and public international law sources is necessary in order to put an end to all cultural, ethnic, religious, legal and political conflicts with whatever means are available – whether derived from Islamic, European, or other sources. A civilized human rights system or union does not authorize the use of force, nor do they purchase or manufacture weapons in any circumstances, for any reason and to any degree. In other words, pure love constitutes not only the de facto, but also, the de jure criteria of the intention not to segregate.
‘We Demand Dignity for the Victims’ – Reflections on the Legal Qualification of the Indecent Disposal of Corpses
Authors: Fournet Caroline , Siller Nicole
Published: August 2015

‘We demand dignity for the victims’. Such was the pledge of the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs following the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight mh17 in rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine and the looting of the corpses of the 298 victims. Although not an isolated instance, the indecent disposal of the corpses of the victims seems to have escaped legal scrutiny. Drawing from this and other case studies, this article addresses the legal qualification of acts of mistreatment perpetrated against the corpses of victims of international crimes. It analyses all relevant dispositions pertaining to international humanitarian law, international criminal law and the law of trafficking in human beings. While these provisions fail to legally characterize such acts, the judiciary however tends to recognize their criminality; a recognition which, in the authors’ views, could make its way into the text of international (criminal) law.
Article 124 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: ‘Transitional Provision’ or ‘The Right to (Convenient) Opt-out’
Authors: Nemane Vivek V. , Gunjal Indraneel D.
Published: August 2015

Article 123 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court provides for a Review Conference to consider any amendments to the statute. Amendments proposed and forwarded by the Assembly of State Parties (asp) were considered during the first Review Conference held at Kampala in 2010. Out of the three potential amendments to the Rome Statute, a proposal to delete Article 124 of the Statute failed. This article evaluates the consistency between contents and objectives of the Rome Statute with reference to a dichotomy which has been emerged after the first Review Conference due to the retention of Article 124. The article questions the basis of the retention of Article 124, and argues that the ‘opt-out provision’ enshrined in Article 124 should be deleted from the Rome Statute during the fourteenth session of the asp in 2015.
Why Do Individuals Surrender to the International Criminal Tribunals?
Authors: Meernik James David
Published: August 2015

Most observers of the International Criminal Court (icc), as well as the several ad hoc tribunals have argued that one of the greatest challenges facing these institutions is their lack of power to enforce their indictments and apprehend suspects. In view of the justifiable concern with the ability of international courts to secure the detention of suspects, it is rather remarkable that nearly one-third of those indicted by the most successful ad hoc tribunals (icty, ictr, scsl) and the icc have surrendered. I offer a theory of surrender that centres on those factors that tend to minimise the costs of surrender and enhance its benefits to explain this phenomenon. I demonstrate how international tribunals and other actors can manipulate the parameters of this calculation and encourage surrender by individuals whose expected utility for surrender is not minimal, but movable. The analysis provides significant support for the minimisation and benefit enhancement model of surrender.
Causal Responsibility in International Criminal Law
Authors: Gadirov Javid
Published: August 2015

This article clarifies the factual basis for attributing causal responsibility in interpersonal causation scenarios in international criminal law. Such content is obliterated when explaining causal contributions in overdetermined and indeterministic harm scenarios. The resulting gap between individual agency and causal attribution is explained away by reference to values underlying legal liability (‘causal minimalism’). Probabilistic causal models can express causal influences in interpersonal causation scenarios, and explicate the objective basis of causal attribution. International Criminal Courts’ approaches to indirect and joint perpetration, as well as the notion of causal contribution in joint criminal enterprise are discussed in light of the existing approaches to testing causation in law, as well as with regard to Judea Pearl’s notion of causal sustenance. The article concludes that expressing causal contributions in language of probabilities can explain causal intuitions underlying legal liability better than supplanting factual basis of attributing responsibility with normative and policy justifications.
Legality, Culpability and Dogmatik: A Dialogue between the ECtHR, Comparative and International Criminal Law
Authors: Vanacore Giulio
Published: August 2015

This article aims to analyse a peculiar interplay between the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), comparative and international criminal law. The discussion focuses on legality, foreseeability of the criminal nature of conduct, knowledge of a fact’s wrongfulness and mistakes of law. Starting from foreseeability as a constitutive element of legality in the ECtHR case-law, the author examines ‘knowability’ of a fact’s wrongfulness as a component of the Continental law Dogmatik category of culpability, the issue of ignorance in common law and the general interaction between the principles of legality and culpability. With regard to the International Criminal Court, there is a problematic need to establish a personal mental link between an individual’s actions and the system criminalising such action. In this context, the issue of foreseeability as applied to modes of liability has proven to be problematic. The upshot is this paper’s appeal for a truly international criminal Dogmatik.
Sonerila bokorense (Melastomataceae), a new species from Cambodia
Authors: Cho Seong-Hyun , Lee Jung-Hoon , Won Hyosig , Phourin Chhang , Kim Young-Dong
Published: August 2015

Sonerila bokorense, a new species of Melastomataceae from Cambodia, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to S. calophylla, but it is distinguished by having aggregated tubercles, narrower leaves, and glandular trichomes on the pedicels, hypanthium, mid-veins of abaxial petals, and capsules.
Effect of Structural Differences in Collagen Sponge Scaffolds on Tracheal Epithelium Regeneration
Authors: Nakaegawa Yuta , Nakamura Ryosuke , Tada Yasuhiro , Nomoto Yukio , Imaizumi Mitsuyoshi , Suzuki Ryo , Nakamura Tatsuo , Omori Koichi
Published: August 2015

Objective:

We developed an in situ regeneration-inducible artificial trachea composed of a porcine collagen sponge and polypropylene framework and used it for tracheal reconstruction. In the present study, collagen sponges with different structures were prepared from various concentrations of collagen solutions, and their effect on the regeneration of tracheal epithelium was examined.

Methods:

Collagen sponges were prepared from type I and III collagen solutions. The structures of the sponges were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Artificial tracheae, which were formed using the collagen sponges with different structures, were implanted into rabbits, and regeneration of the tracheal epithelium on the artificial tracheae was evaluated by SEM analysis and histological examination.

Results:

The SEM analysis showed that collagen sponges prepared from 0.5% and 1.0% collagen solutions had a porous structure. However, the sponges prepared from a 1.5% collagen solution had a nonporous structure. After implantation of artificial tracheae prepared from 0.5% and 1.0% collagen solutions, their luminal surfaces were mostly covered with epithelium within 14 days. However, epithelial reorganization occurred later on artificial tracheae prepared from the 1.5% collagen solution.

Conclusion:

Collagen sponges with a porous structure are suitable for regeneration of the tracheal epithelium in our artificial trachea.
Deep brain stimulation for depression: Scientific issues and future directions
Authors: Mosley Philip E , Marsh Rodney , Carter Adrian
Published: August 2015

Objective:

Deep brain stimulation is an experimental intervention for treatment-resistant depression. Open trials have shown a sustained response to chronic stimulation in many subjects. However, two recent randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials failed to replicate these results. This article is a conceptual paper examining potential explanations for these discrepant findings.

Method:

We conducted a systematic review of the published studies obtained from PubMed and PsycINFO. Studies were selected if they directly examined the impact of deep brain stimulation on depressive symptoms. We excluded case reports and papers re-describing the same cohort of patients. We compared them with data from the placebo-controlled trials, available from Clinicaltrials.gov and abstracts of the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. We supplemented our investigation by reviewing additional publications by the major groups undertaking deep brain stimulation for mood disorders.

Results:

We selected 10 open studies reporting on eight cohorts of patients using four different operative targets. All published studies reported positive results. This was not replicated in data available from the randomised, placebo-controlled trials. Many studies reported suicide or suicide attempts in the postoperative period.

Conclusion:

We consider the placebo effect, the pattern of network activation, surgical candidacy and design of a blinded trial including the length of a crossover period. We suggest a greater focus on selecting patients with melancholia. We anticipate that methodological refinements may facilitate further investigation of this technology for intractable depression. We conclude by noting the psychiatric adverse events that have been reported in the literature to date, as these will also influence the design of future trials of deep brain stimulation for depression.
Prevalence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Usage in Vietnamese American Asthmatic Children
Authors: Berg Jill , Morphew Tricia , Tran Jackie , Kilgore David , Galant Stanley P.
Published: August 2015

This study examined the frequency and type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy, as well as characteristics associated with CAM usage. A survey about parental preferences and beliefs regarding CAM usage was distributed to 5 schools with predominantly low socioeconomic Vietnamese children. For the 360 Vietnamese children previously diagnosed with asthma whose families responded, most preferred conventional therapy as prescribed by the physician. The prevalence of CAM usage was 38.1%. Common CAM therapies were steam inhalation, creams/topical oils, foods, prayer, oil inhalation, massage, herbal medication, coining, and cupping. Significant predictors of CAM usage were older age (11-12 years) ( P = .038), English language of survey response ( P = .001), environmental tobacco smoke exposure ( P = .001), fear of long-term medication usage, and perception of asthma as a condition related to genetics ( P = .023). These findings suggest that assessing CAM therapy will provide a more holistic approach to asthma therapy.
A Mixture Proportional Hazards Model With Random Effects for Response Times in Tests
Authors: Ranger Jochen , Kuhn Jörg-Tobias
Published: August 2015

In this article, a new model for test response times is proposed that combines latent class analysis and the proportional hazards model with random effects in a similar vein as the mixture factor model. The model assumes the existence of different latent classes. In each latent class, the response times are distributed according to a class-specific proportional hazards model. The class-specific proportional hazards models relate the response times of each subject to his or her work pace, which is considered as a random effect. The latent class extension of the proportional hazards model allows for differences in response strategies between subjects. The differences can be captured in the hazard functions, which trace the progress individuals make over time when working on an item. The model can be calibrated with marginal maximum likelihood estimation. The fit of the model can either be assessed with information criteria or with a test of model fit. In a simulation study, the performance of the proposed approaches to model calibration and model evaluation is investigated. Finally, the model is used for a real data set.
Are older adults receiving evidence-based advice to prevent falls post-discharge from hospital?
Authors: Lee Den-Ching A , Brown Ted , Stolwyk Rene , O’Connor Daniel W , Haines Terry P
Published: August 2015

Background:

Older adults experience a high rate of falls when they transition to community-living following discharge from hospital.

Objectives:

To describe the proportion of older adults who could recall having discussed falls and falls prevention strategies with a health professional within 6 months following discharge from hospital. To describe the recalled content of these discussions and the strategies recommended and/or undertaken to prevent falls.

Methods:

Prospective cohort study of 155 older adults surveyed prior to discharge from hospital, of whom 123 were followed up at month 3 and/or month 6 in the community post-discharge. Participants were recruited from three Australian hospitals. Questionnaires captured predictive factors that may predispose to a fall and data related to the objectives being examined.

Results:

Of the 123 participants who had at least one follow-up, 54 reported discussing falls with a health professional (49 discussed falls with their general practitioners). Of the 54 participants who recalled having a discussion, 33 commented that they were asked whether they had fallen over. Only six discussed interventions to prevent falls. However, 44 stated that they attempted a total of 53 strategies to prevent falls post-discharge. Of these strategies, 40 had an absence of evidence of effectiveness, 11 had evidence of effectiveness, while two had either evidence of no benefit/harm or evidence of harm for the prevention of falls. In all, 53 participants reported falling post-discharge, but 42% of them did not recall discussing falls with their health professional.

Conclusion:

There is considerable scope for health professionals, especially general practitioners, to increase the frequency with which they discuss falls and evidence-based interventions to prevent falls in this population.
Sustained Attention in Auditory and Visual Monitoring Tasks
Authors: Arrabito G. Robert , Ho Geoffrey , Aghaei Behzad , Burns Catherine , Hou Ming
Published: August 2015

Objective:

Performance and mental workload were observed for the administration of a rest break or exogenous vibrotactile signals in auditory and visual monitoring tasks.

Background:

Sustained attention is mentally demanding. Techniques are required to improve observer performance in vigilance tasks.

Method:

Participants ( N = 150) monitored an auditory or a visual display for changes in signal duration in a 40-min watch. During the watch, participants were administered a rest break or exogenous vibrotactile signals.

Results:

Detection accuracy was significantly greater in the auditory than in the visual modality. A short rest break restored detection accuracy in both sensory modalities following deterioration in performance. Participants experienced significantly lower mental workload when monitoring auditory than visual signals, and a rest break significantly reduced mental workload in both sensory modalities. Exogenous vibrotactile signals had no beneficial effects on performance, or mental workload.

Conclusion:

A rest break can restore performance in auditory and visual vigilance tasks. Although sensory differences in vigilance tasks have been studied, this study is the initial effort to investigate the effects of a rest break countermeasure in both auditory and visual vigilance tasks, and it is also the initial effort to explore the effects of the intervention of a rest break on the perceived mental workload of auditory and visual vigilance tasks. Further research is warranted to determine exact characteristics of effective exogenous vibrotactile signals in vigilance tasks.

Application:

Potential applications of this research include procedures for decreasing the temporal decline in observer performance and the high mental workload imposed by vigilance tasks.
The Aru Igbo Trust Network and Slave-dealing in Igboland and the Lower Southeast Niger Basin: Assessing the Impacts and Consequences of Initial Abolitionary Efforts by Governments in the Atlantic World in the Period, 1787–1807
Authors: Ejiogu EC , Njoku Carol Ijeoma
Published: August 2015

Although existing research on trust networks shows that ethnic networks, for example, have sustained long-distance trade from the origins of cities and states onward, this article reveals that, even in the absence of connections to cities and states, by their nature and because of their commitment component, trust networks can also be uniquely customized and made to lend themselves to the peculiar enterprise that was slave-dealing in Igboland, even in contexts that are devoid of cities and states and their governmental trappings. This assertion about trust networks is substantiated in the article with an account of the effectiveness of the Aru Igbo trust network, which enabled the extensive participation of the Aru1 Igbo in the slave trade in the lower southeast Niger basin. Also, the article taps into Charles Tilly’s theoretical formulation on error correction to demonstrate that, in spite of the error, correction measures adopted by the abolitionist campaigners to bolster the purposive action that characterized the initial phase of their campaign, slave-dealing and trade in Igboland and in the lower southeast were sustained in spite of all that largely because of the durability and resilience of the Aru Igbo trust network.
PTH and Vitamin D Repress DMP1 in Cementoblasts
Authors: Wang L. , Tran A.B. , Nociti F.H. , Thumbigere-Math V. , Foster B.L. , Krieger C.C. , Kantovitz K.R. , Novince C.M. , Koh A.J. , McCauley L.K. , Somerman M.J.
Published: August 2015

A complex feedback mechanism between parathyroid hormone (PTH), 1,25(OH)2D3 (1,25D), and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) maintains mineral homeostasis, in part by regulating calcium and phosphate absorption/reabsorption. Previously, we showed that 1,25D regulates mineral homeostasis by repressing dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1) via the vitamin D receptor pathway. Similar to 1,25D, PTH may modulate DMP1, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Immortalized murine cementoblasts (OCCM.30), similar to osteoblasts and known to express DMP1, were treated with PTH (1–34). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot revealed that PTH decreased DMP1 gene transcription (85%) and protein expression (30%), respectively. PTH mediated the downregulation of DMP1 via the cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA) pathway. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the decreased localization of DMP1 in vivo in cellular cementum and alveolar bone of mice treated with a single dose (50 µg/kg) of PTH (1–34). RNA-seq was employed to further identify patterns of gene expression shared by PTH and 1,25D in regulating DMP1, as well as other factors involved in mineral homeostasis. PTH and 1,25D mutually upregulated 36 genes and mutually downregulated 27 genes by ≥2-fold expression ( P ≤ 0.05). Many identified genes were linked with the regulation of bone/tooth homeostasis, cell growth and differentiation, calcium signaling, and DMP1 transcription. Validation of RNA-seq results via PCR array confirmed a similar gene expression pattern in response to PTH and 1,25D treatment. Collectively, these results suggest that PTH and 1,25D share complementary effects in maintaining mineral homeostasis by mutual regulation of genes/proteins associated with calcium and phosphate metabolism while also exerting distinct roles on factors modulating mineral metabolism. Furthermore, PTH may modulate phosphate homeostasis by downregulating DMP1 expression via the cAMP/PKA pathway. Targeting genes/proteins mutually governed by PTH and 1,25D may be a viable approach for designing new therapies for preserving mineralized tissue health.
Enhanced Dentinogenesis of Pulp Progenitors by Early Exposure to FGF2
Authors: Sagomonyants K. , Kalajzic I. , Maye P. , Mina M.
Published: August 2015

Members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family play essential and important roles in primary and reparative dentinogenesis. Although there appears to be a general agreement on the effects of FGF signaling on the proliferation of pulp cells, there are conflicting results regarding its effects on odontoblast differentiation. We recently examined the effects of continuous exposure of dental pulp cells to FGF2 and showed that the effects of FGF2 on differentiation of progenitor cells into odontoblasts were stage specific and dependent on the stage of cell maturity. The purpose of this study was to gain further insight into cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating the stimulatory effects of FGF2 on odontoblast differentiation. To do so, we examined the effects of early and limited exposure of pulp cells from a series of green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter transgenic mice that display stage-specific activation of transgenes during odontoblast differentiation to FGF2. Our results showed that early and limited exposure of pulp cells to FGF2 did not have significant effects on the extent of mineralization but induced significant increases in the expression of Dmp1 and Dspp and the number of DMP1-GFP+ and DSPP-Cerulean+ odontoblasts. Our results also showed that the stimulatory effects of FGF2 on odontoblast differentiation were mediated through FGFR/MEK/Erk1/2 signaling, increases in Bmp2, and activation of the BMP/BMPR signaling pathway. These observations show that early and limited exposure of pulp cells to FGF2 alone promotes odontoblast differentiation and provides critical insight for applications of FGF2 in dentin regeneration.
Photocurable, Antimicrobial Quaternary Ammonium–modified Nanosilica
Authors: Makvandi P. , Ghaemy M. , Ghadiri A.A. , Mohseni M.
Published: August 2015

In this study, novel, quaternary ammonium methacrylate–modified silica nanoparticles (QMSNs) were synthesized for the first time and proposed as possible antimicrobial particles for free-radical, photocurable monomers. Such monomers have the potential to polymerize with other methacrylate monomers and create antimicrobial polymers. The silica nanoparticles were modified by quaternary ammonium methacrylate functionality and incorporated at 0 to 10 wt% into a 1:1 (by mass) bisphenol A glycerolate dimethacrylate (BisGMA)/triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) resin. Thermal stability of the pristine and modified silica nanoparticles was examined by thermogravimetric analyses. Atomic force microscopy was used to investigate the size distribution and topography of the nanoparticles. For evaluation of the mechanical properties of the samples, flexural strength was measured using a 3-point bending test method. The flexural strength of the composites containing QMSNs increased with increasing modified silica content. The antimicrobial activity of samples was investigated against some standard microorganisms ( Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans), and then cytotoxicity and viability were quantified. Incorporation of 2.5% to 10% (by mass) QMSNs into BisGMA/TEGDMA demonstrated antimicrobial activity, but ≥5 wt% significantly reduced cell viability.
Professionalism Redundant, Reshaped, or Reinvigorated? Realizing the “Third Logic” in Contemporary Health Care
Authors: Martin Graham P. , Armstrong Natalie , Aveling Emma-Louise , Herbert Georgia , Dixon-Woods Mary
Published: August 2015

Recent decades have seen the influence of the professions decline. Lately, commentators have suggested a revived role for a “new” professionalism in ensuring and enhancing high-quality health care in systems dominated by market and managerial logics. The form this new professionalism might take, however, remains obscure. This article uses data from an ethnographic study of three English health care improvement projects to analyze the place, potential, and limitations of professionalism as a means of engaging clinicians in efforts to improve service quality. We found that appeals to notions of professionalism had strong support among practitioners, but converting enthusiasm for the principle of professionalism into motivation to change practice was not straightforward. Some tactics used in pursuit of this deviated sharply from traditional models of collegial social control. In systems characterized by fissures between professional groups and powerful market and managerial influences, we suggest that professionalism must interact creatively but carefully with other logics.
The shifting sands of medico-legal intra-partum Ctg (I-P Ctg) monitoring
Authors: Buttigieg George G
Published: August 2015

Intra-partum (IP) surveillance of the unborn child by cardiotacography (CTG) monitoring is the commonest obstetric procedure in the developed world. 1 It is also the most medico-legally contested obstetric procedure in labour. In 2011, ‘birth asphyxia’ comprised 50% of the UK National Health Service (NHS) litigation costs, 2 and in the 2000–2010 decade, the same NHS paid out £3.1 billion for maternity medico-legal claims (the highest of any speciality), mostly involving cerebral palsy and CTG misinterpretation. 3 This article looks at a number of characteristics of IP CTG monitoring which argue for its questionable solidity of base in court proceedings.
Why do the poor travel less? Urban structure, commuting and economic informality in Mexico City
Authors: Suárez Manuel , Murata Masanori , Delgado Campos Javier
Published: August 2015

While in Mexico City formal jobs are concentrated in the city centre, affordable housing is generally only available in its outer rings. This reduced accessibility to formal employment would suggest that the poor have longer commutes. However, observed travel times show that low-income workers actually have the shortest commutes. Using two linear programming transportation models we found that this is due to the location of informal work activities, which seems to be a function of the residential location of workers involved in the informal sector as a response to the disadvantages of the formal urban structure of jobs and housing that affect the poor.
Risk and Resilience Factors Associated With Formal and Informal Income Generation Among Homeless Young Adults in Three U.S. Cities
Authors: Ferguson Kristin M. , Bender Kimberly , Thompson Sanna J.
Published: August 2015

This study used the risk and resilience framework to examine predictors of formal and informal sources of income among homeless young adults. Formal sources of income generation consisted of full-time, part-time, or paid, temporary work. Informal sources included earning money from selling personal possessions, selling drugs, and theft. In all, 601 homeless young adults from three U.S. cities participated in semi-structured interviews. Structural equation modeling assessed whether demographic, homelessness history, mental health, problem behaviors, and resilience predicted income generation source. Income generation from formal sources was associated with being male, having a greater number of problem behaviors, and reporting higher levels of resilience. Informal income generation was associated with younger age, being transient, and reporting a greater number of problem behaviors. Findings underscore the need to address homelessness risk factors to support homeless young adults in securing stable, formal employment as an alternative to informal survival behaviors to earn income.
Book Review: Meeta Deka, Women’s Agency and Social Change: Assam and Beyond
Authors: Rasaily Rinju
Published: August 2015

Meeta Deka, Women’s Agency and Social Change: Assam and Beyond, Sage Studies on India’s North East, New Delhi, SAGE, 2013, ₹650, 200 pp. ISBN 978-81-321-1138-2.
Legal Dualism and the Bipolar State
Authors: Santos Cecília MacDowell
Published: August 2015

The Brazilian state has contradictory laws, policies and practices with regard to the rights of indigenous peoples. Despite the adoption of a democratic Brazilian constitution in 1988 that incorporated a multicultural conception of indigenous rights and the subsequent ratification of new international norms of human rights for indigenous peoples, the practices of the courts and of the various sectors of the state reflect a legal cultural dualism and a “bipolar” state. The case of the Xucuru people sent to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights shows the conflicts between legal and political cultures characterized, on one hand, by an individualistic and colonial approach to indigenous civil rights and, on the other hand, a collectivist and multicultural perspective on the human rights of indigenous peoples.

O Estado brasileiro possui leis, políticas e práticas contraditórias em relação aos direi-tos indígenas. Apesar da nova constituição democrática de 1988 ter incorporado uma concepção multicultural dos direitos indígenas e de o Estado ter ratificado normas internacionais de direitos humanos dos povos indígenas, as práticas dos tribunais e de vários setores do Estado refletem uma situação de dualismo da cultura jurídica e um Estado “bipolar.” O caso do povo Xucuru encaminhado à Comissão Interamericana de Direitos Humanos demonstra os conflitos entre culturas jurídicas e políticas caracterizadas, de um lado, por uma abordagem individualista e colonial dos direitos civis dos indígenas, e, de outro lado, por uma perspectiva coletivista e multicultural dos direitos humanos dos povos indígenas.
Planning the Public Functions of Nineteenth-Century Athens
Authors: Roubien Denis
Published: August 2015

When the capital of the newly founded Greek State was transferred to Athens in 1834, the former provincial city of the Ottoman Empire had no buildings suitable to house a European capital. Yet, providing it with them proved to be far more complicated than expected, because of the question which buildings should be given priority: those housing the most urgent practical needs of a modern European State, or those underlining the connection of modern Greece to the cultural supremacy of the ancient Greek world? That question led to a continuous wavering between each option, constant changes of plans, and many nonpractical decisions that delayed greatly the organization of Athens as a European capital in functional terms. The originality of the article lies in its relying mainly on unpublished archival sources that throw new light on the creation of modern Athens.
Between a Rock and Hard Place
Authors: Williams Yohuru
Published: August 2015

In the midst of several well publicized prison scandals, numerous lawsuits and a mass of studies revealing the squalid nature of U.S. prisons, in the early 1960s and 1970s Delaware was one of a handful of states experimenting with fresh alternatives to incarceration utilizing urban space. The leader of these reform efforts was Paul Keve, acting Delaware Commissioner of Corrections. Keve’s ambitious program was to be anchored in the state’s two largest cities, Wilmington and Dover, where he hoped to use the opportunities afforded by the urban landscape to facilitate and enhance his program of rehabilitation. Keve’s program, however, met with crushing opposition from Delaware’s two rural southern counties who controlled the state legislature. This essay examines the tumultuous history of the period by looking at the state as a microcosm of the nation and how heated discourse over prison reform intersected with the battle to control urban space and how issues of race and Delaware’s political geography ultimately defeated prison reform.
Data-driven predictive iterative learning control for a class of multiple-input and multiple-output nonlinear systems
Authors: Yu Qiongxia , Hou Zhongsheng
Published: August 2015

This paper presents a novel data-driven predictive iterative learning control (DDPILC) scheme based on a new dynamic linearization technique along the iteration axis for a class of repeatable multiple-input and multiple-output nonlinear discrete-time systems. The proposed DDPILC scheme combines iterative learning control with predictive control and the distinct feature of the scheme is that the controller design depends only on the measured input/output data without using any model information of the controlled plant. In addition, if the control system is subjected to input and output constraints, the constrained DDPILC scheme is also proposed. The theoretical analysis shows that with random initial operation conditions, the proposed unconstrained DDPILC scheme guarantees monotonic and pointwise convergence while the constrained DDPILC scheme guarantees the asymptotic and pointwise convergence. The applicability and effectiveness of the proposed DDPILC schemes are further verified through simulations.
Open-circuit fault detection and diagnosis in pulse-width modulation voltage source inverters based on novel pole voltage approach
Authors: Adouni Amel , Francois Bruno , Sbita Lassaad
Published: August 2015

In this paper, fault detection and an isolation technique for an insulated-gate bipolar transistor open-circuit fault in a voltage source inverter are presented. This technique consists of analysing the pole voltage and providing the detection and the location of simple, simultaneous and multiple faults. Open-circuit faults can be detected by sensing the pole voltage of each leg and comparing it with the theoretical one. To improve the calculation speed and reliability of this technique and to avoid false diagnosis alarms, the fault detection and isolation scheme is based on a novel model of pole voltage taking into account the time delays due to the turn-on and turn-off process of the power switches. This method reduces the detection time and is applied for open-loop or closed-loop faults in a transient or steady state.
Robust asymptotic tracking control of a chain of integrator nonlinear systems with input constraint and hysteresis nonlinearity
Authors: Dong Zhenle , Yao Jianyong , Ma Dawei
Published: August 2015

This paper focuses on the problem of tracking control of a chain of integrator nonlinear systems with input constraint and hysteresis nonlinearity. Input constraint, always existing in physical systems, has been proved a source of performance degradation. To handle this issue, an effective hyperbolic saturation function is employed, which is bounded no matter how the disturbances and error signals change. Furthermore, hysteresis nonlinearity, which may also limit the system performance, is modelled as a combination of a linear term with constant slope and a bounded disturbance term, which makes it possible to be integrated in the model based controller design. The robust integral of the sign of error (RISE) control is synthesized to guarantee the asymptotic tracking performance in the presence of parametric uncertainties and unmodelled nonlinearities such as external disturbances and unmodelled hysteresis nonlinearity. The closed-loop stability is proved via Lyapunov analysis. Some simulations are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller.
Fault diagnosis for flight control systems using subspace method and adaptive two-stage Kalman filter
Authors: Wang Jianchen , Qi Xiaohui
Published: August 2015

Model-based fault diagnosis has attracted considerable attention from researchers and developers of flight control systems, thanks to its hardware simplicity and cost-effectiveness. However, the airplane model, which is adopted commonly in fault diagnosis, only exists theoretically and is linearized in approximation. For this reason, uncertainties such as system non-linearity and subjectivity will degrade the fault diagnosis results. In this paper, we propose a novel actuator fault diagnosis scheme for flight control systems based on model identification techniques. With this scheme, system identification can be achieved with a linear model that uses a closed-loop subspace model identification algorithm, and a non-linear model that uses an extended state observer and neural networks. On this basis, the current actuator fault is estimated using an adaptive two-stage Kalman filter. Finally, the non-linear six-degree-of-freedom model of a B747 airplane is simulated in the Matlab/Simulink environment, where the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is verified from fault diagnosis tests.
“We Are in This Together”
Authors: Kunst Jonas R. , Thomsen Lotte , Sam David L. , Berry John W.
Published: August 2015

Although integration involves a process of mutual accommodation, the role of majority groups is often downplayed to passive tolerance, leaving immigrants with the sole responsibility for active integration. However, we show that common group identity can actively involve majority members in this process across five studies. Study 1 showed that common identity positively predicted support of integration efforts; Studies 2 and 3 extended these findings, showing that it also predicted real behavior such as monetary donations and volunteering. A decrease in modern racism mediated the relations across these studies, and Studies 4 and 5 further demonstrated that it indeed mediated these effects over and above acculturation expectations and color-blindness, which somewhat compromised integration efforts. Moreover, the last two studies also demonstrated that common, but not dual, groups motivated integration efforts. Common identity appears crucial for securing majorities’ altruistic efforts to integrate immigrants and, thus, for achieving functional multiculturalism.
Revisiting Post-Downgrade Stock Underperformance
Authors: Liu Alfred Zhu , Sun Le
Published: August 2015

Prior research documents significant negative long-term stock returns following bond-rating downgrades. Some downgraded firms are placed on credit watches before downgrades, and we find that the post-downgrade stock underperformance of such firms is significantly reduced. We explore two explanations for the difference in post-downgrade stock performance that are not mutually exclusive: (a) a credit watch placement provides an early signal of the subsequent rating downgrade and gives investors more time to better understand the information content of the downgrade (the early-disclosure effect), and (b) a credit watch placement induces better recovery from credit deterioration for the downgraded firm in the long run (the recovery effect). We find that firms receiving watch-preceded downgrades show better improvements in operating profitability, financial leverage, and overall default risk, and are less likely to be further downgraded in future periods, compared with firms that are directly downgraded. Our findings suggest that the recovery effect is important in explaining downgraded firms’ performance in the long run and provide new evidence in support of the premise in the recent literature that credit watches can induce on-watch firms’ efforts to restore deteriorated credit quality.
Tie Strength and Value Creation in the Buyer-Supplier Context: A U-Shaped Relation Moderated by Dependence Asymmetry
Authors: Kim Yusoon , Choi Thomas Y.
Published: August 2015

This study integrates two disparate genres within tie-strength literature into one model to investigate the mechanisms for value creation in the buyer-supplier context. This research brings together the opposite ends of the tie-strength continuum: the “weak ties,” which are instrumental in tapping into novel ideas and emerging technologies, and the “strong ties,” which promote joint resource investments and capability development. By doing so, we bring salience to the existence of “intermediate ties” (i.e., the ties of moderate strength) and their implications for value creation. Even though the intermediate ties are likely most common in the buyer-supplier context, they have been given short shrift in the literature. We predict a U-shaped relation, where weak ties and strong ties are more effective than intermediate ties in value creation. Furthermore, we explore the moderating role of dependence asymmetry. Our hypotheses are tested using survey data from a major global automaker and its North American suppliers. The results demonstrate that both the weak and strong buyer-supplier ties lead to higher value creation, whereas intermediate ties do not increase value creation. Also, the study illustrates that, overall, asymmetric buyer-supplier ties show diminished value creation, and this moderating effect is particularly pronounced for intermediate ties.
Constitutional theory in times of crisis
Authors: Dimitrijevic Nenad
Published: August 2015

The contemporary global crisis can be explored in different perspectives. This text focuses on constitutionalism. It asks whether constitutionalism still matters. Responding to this question requires revisiting the basic analytical and normative concepts that shape individual autonomy, polity, law and democracy in the context of globalization. Part I of the article introduces the question of the crisis of constitutionalism. It briefly explores the dispute between proponents of state and post-state constitutionalism, and proceeds with an analysis of societal constitutionalism. The critical reading of this theory prepares the ground for a positive normative argument. Part II of the article argues for the return to the moral core of constitutionalism. It defends the claim that justice at the global stage requires establishing a minimum common denominator that would be composed of universalizable substantive principles. The institutional question follows. Its focus should be on the authoritative identification, protection and advancement of the core values of constitutionalism in the social and legal-political realms of the world society.